Schools urged to take advantage of grant funding for heat decarbonisation
A new £3.5 million pot of government funding has been ring-fenced for schools to help them decarbonise the buildings in their estates.
Low Carbon Skills Fund grants can be used by schools to enlist the help of external specialists to create a strategic heat decarbonisation plan, which sets out how they will replace fossil-fuel heating systems with low carbon alternatives.
The funding is available to maintained state schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and free schools. Sixth form colleges can apply too, as these are treated as schools by the Department for Education.
Although the funding doesn’t go towards capital project implementation, it puts organisations in a strong position to take the next steps in decarbonising, such as developing detailed project proposals and applying for future grant funding.
What needs to be included in a heat decarbonisation plan?
The funding allows schools to engage with external consultants like Concept to create their heat decarbonisation plan. The plan should describe how an organisation intends to replace fossil fuel reliant systems with low carbon alternatives (for example heat pumps, electric heating, or other low-carbon fuel sources) within its estate.
It should describe the current state of an organisation’s energy use, where it is derived from, and the organisation’s plans for reducing or decarbonising its energy use. It outlines what an organisation has already done, what it is currently doing, and what it plans to do in the future.
Plans should also reflect the organisation’s level of knowledge, an understanding of the technical solutions that are needed to decarbonise, estimated costs, and how and when it might be delivered.
Dates and deadlines
Salix is the scheme delivery partner and is responsible for receiving and assessing applications.
The application portal opens on Monday 13th September 2021 at 2pm, and schools won’t have long to apply; it closes when enough good quality applications have been received. The application window for a previous round of funding closed within a few days of opening, so it’s wise to act quickly.
For more information visit the Salix website.
