Lexica urges NHS not to miss out on decarbonisation funding
Government grants made available for public sector heat decarbonisation efforts
Lexica, formerly ETL, is urging healthcare organisations to take advantage of funding from the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to assist in engaging the specialist advice and skills needed to develop heat decarbonisation plans.
Administered by Salix Finance, a £14m cashpot has been allocated and industry experts are encouraging NHS trusts to apply immediately as funding applications will be assessed in the order in which they are received.
Salix has designed the model for delivering this funding having already issued Phase 1 and 2 of the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF), which provides grants to boost decarbonisation skills and unlock decarbonisation in the public sector.
And, as UK public sector bodies are now obliged to reach net-zero targets, Lexica’s expert advice and framework, along with the BEIS grant fund, are key enablers to delivering decarbonisation across the public sector estate.
A Lexica spokesman said: “With a track record of delivering on BEIS funded projects, we are in a position to assist clients to meet the criteria necessary to access the newly-available grant as a well as offer expertise in planning and delivering heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
“This can be put towards creating initial heat decarbonisation plans or improving existing ones.”
Organisations looking to apply for this grant must meet specific criteria to be considered. For the application, a heat decarbonisation plan will need to be established and include the following:
- Specific detail on how the organisation will decarbonise building(s) on its public sector estate, specifically identifying measures that reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuel use
- Outlined aims to maximise cost-effectiveness by taking a ‘whole building’ approach to building decarbonisation
- The information and data required to develop an investment grade proposal, and to make a valid application for Phase 3 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
Heat decarbonisation plans must also apply to public sector buildings that have a fossil fuel heating system currently in place and take a whole building approach to decarbonisation.