Energy Finance

LEVEN VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL USES SALIX FUNDING TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS BY 77 PER CENT

Situated within the Lake District National Park, Leven Valley has become the first Primary School to use interest-free funding from Salix to install a ground source heat pump, trans-forming its heating infrastructure.

Over the last decade, the school has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its estate, creating a sustainable, heat-efficient environment and preparing for the decarbonisation of heat. As part of the school’s carbon reduction strategy, sustainable and natural building materials were maximized where possible, allowing the building to be transformed into a warm and welcoming learning environment. Despite the old building structure, the school also adopted a series of energy efficient steps such as replacing insulation, solar

PV (Photovoltaic) and LED lighting in order to continue with the delivery of their carbon strategy and install a ground source heat pump (GSHP.) Leven Valley has used funding from Salix Finance to upgrade its heating system from an oil-based system to a 30.12kW borehole ground source heat pump (GSHP). In this case, a GSHP was the most robust, long-term approach for minimising carbon emissions and was an ideal replacement for the school’s oil-based heating system. This ground source heat pump project is expected to save Leven Valley an estimated £5,110 per year and reduce carbon emissions by 77 per cent.

Ian Nicol, head teacher at Leven Valley Church of England Primary School, said: “We are a very small school… but I hope you can see that we think big and act green.

The buildings have become part of our educational ethos, values and provision and work in sympathy with our location within the Lake District National Park.”

Leven Valley’s holistic approach to energy efficiency allows a smooth transition to achieving a low carbon future and the savings made can be reinvested into further energy efficiency projects or resources for the school such as learning materials.

Sinead Desmond, Programme Manager at Salix, said: ‘We’re delighted to see Leven Valley implementing so many carbon reduction measures and we’re pleased to have been able to support them with the delivery of multiple energy-saving technologies. The school is an-other great example of how public sector organisations across the UK are leading the way to a sustainable future.’

Salix provides interest-free funding for schools to reduce energy costs through the installation of energy efficiency technologies. As of March 2020, Salix has invested over £61m in over 3,300 school projects, saving over £12m and 55,700 tonnes of carbon per year. https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/

NHS HOSPITAL REDUCES ITS CARBON FOOTPRINT AND ELECTRICITY BILLS FOLLOWING THE INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PANELS AND ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING

A hospital has drastically reduced its electricity bill by a third while also substantially lowering its carbon footprint with the installation of solar panels and energy efficient lighting.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH), in Oswestry, Shropshire, has had 1,760 solar panels fitted along with its entire lighting upgraded to LEDs.

It is estimated the trust is now saving over £217,000 annually, while also reducing carbon emissions by over 809 tonnes of carbon per year as it pivots towards a net zero carbon future.

Nick Huband, Director of Estates and Facilities at RJAH, said: “It’s massively important for us to be more sustainable and efficient.

“The target is to get to net zero but it’s not an insurmountable task. It is doable but there is significant capital investment required and a different way of thinking more importantly as well.

“Solar panels are really important to this strategy. Not just the financial return but also the offset against the carbon tonnage is huge.

“All the external lighting has been replaced with energy efficient LED lighting, along with all the internal lighting in the wards and the theatres.

“There has been a big fall in energy usage. We’re expecting a £200,000 year reduction in costs on our energy costs – it’s a significant saving.”

The RJAH was able to carry out the work thanks to Salix Finance, which provides Government funding to the public sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills.

With the help of Salix, the Trust unlocked £1.2 million in funding for the project - with the panels and lighting reducing electricity bills by a third.

The hospital, which has an international reputation for orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal medicine, is now exploring the possibility of adding two further rows of solar panels which it estimates will reduce energy bills by a further £65,000 per year.

It is one of several initiatives the hospital is looking at as it works towards a more sustainable future. This includes installing more charging stations for electric car drivers and planting trees to offset emissions.

Nick Huband said: “We couldn’t have done this without Salix as it is so difficult to get capital funding via the NHS. We’ve put ourselves forward for things like European funding and been unsuccessful and similarly with NHS funding so without the support of Salix this work wouldn’t have happened.

“We’re looking at some more radical ideas like solar panels on the roof of the car park. The drive to reduce emissions is really well supported here – there is a lot of buy-in from our executives which helps with schemes like this.

“It’s not just about LED lighting and solar panels. We have some green sites which, due to a number of restrictions, we can’t build on or sell so we’re looking at ways to offset our carbon by planting trees.

“We can then create walk routes through so patients and visitors can enjoy it while we try to achieve zero carbon.”

Salix has now helped fund almost 19,000 projects to the tune of £1 billion – saving the public sector £203 million per year on its bills.

It is estimated the work carried out across the UK via Salix’s platform has reduced carbon emissions by almost 867,864 tonnes.

Sameen Khan, Programme Manager for the NHS Programme at Salix, added: “More than ever before, we want to support our NHS services and the patient and staff environment at the Hospitals across the country. The Salix funding can help decrease operational costs which can be re-allocated for patient care.” https://www.salixfinance.co.uk/