Preparation for £1bn of energy efficiency grant funding

In the Chancellor’s Spring Statement £1bn of grant funding was announced for energy efficiency improvements in public sector buildings. Local Partnerships welcomes this announcement and look forward to supporting the development and delivery of suitable projects.

Detail of the scheme is still in development, and we await further clarity. The timescales for commitment of the funds may be challenging, although the drive is to accelerate investment and decarbonisation of the public sector estate.

The launch of the fund is anticipated in the autumn. If the timescales for allocation and spending of the grant funding are by the end of the financial year, it is crucial to be prepared with projects that have already been scoped.

Projects with a focus on decarbonisation of heating, and particularly in the school estate, may be priorities. Exploring options for project design and delivery now, in readiness for an autumn announcement, is prudent. Local Partnerships can support councils’ preparation for grant applications in this respect. The Re:fit Energy Performance Contract Framework (co-owned with the GLA) is available for public sector use, and offers a swift procurement route with an OJEU compliant framework of 16 providers. Support is provided from project scoping through to works implementation, with a focus on delivering at scale and at pace. We can assist with the development of projects eligible for BEIS grant funding and support the procurement and design journey, enabling authorities to act swiftly when the scheme details are released.

Current Re:fit Framework users can use this opportunity to review existing project briefs and look for opportunities to develop subsequent programme phases ready for the autumn.

Re:fit is the Framework of choice for local authorities, enabling change to be delivered at scale and pace. The Framework uses a robust, flexible and tested Energy Performance Contracting approach. The Framework provides guaranteed 100% of the energy saving and/or generation (kWh) via a contractual agreement for the payback period of the project. This key feature is helping to remove risk of failure with new developments, as well as protecting the client and their investment.

Additional benefits include improvements to buildings’ operational performance, comfort levels for staff, reductions in building-related complaints and maintenance backlogs, a boost to local investment through local job creation, and important reductions in CO2 emissions.

For further information about how the Re:fit framework can help authorities in their journey to achieving net-zero, please contact Rachel Toresen-Owuor rachel.toresen-owuor@localpartnerships.gov.uk.

If you are a London-based organisation please contact the Retrofit Accelerator Team at retrofitaccelerator@london.gov.uk