Climate change is the biggest issue of our time and it’s happening more quickly than we had ever feared. The last four years have been the hottest on record. We’re seeing more food and water insecurity, glaciers and icesheets melting faster than ever and we’re witnessing new weather extremes.
As we approach COP29 I am hoping for a more united and positive approach, paying tribute to our planet which is abundant in connected systems.
Every tiny degree of global warming counts in this dialogue.
Indeed, ‘we’re not going fast enough’ is the message we’re constantly hearing from the scientists and climate experts.
Despite all this, there is also the positive side to this story. Whilst you could argue that technology has contributed to climate change, we can also argue that new and more efficient technologies can help us reduce net zero emissions. In fact, in many places, renewable energy is now the cheapest energy source – we can use these to our advantage. Together we can create a cleaner and more resilient world.
It's hard not to be positive as I carry out my job at Salix. My job description starts with “We’re Salix and we’re on a mission to help save the planet”. Not a bad reason to get up early on a Monday and hunt for coffee in a cold, rainy train station for the journey into London.
Every day I speak to passionate people across government, the public sector as well as my own teams, who are committed to making a difference to their communities. As part of my work alongside government I see how policy is evolving and funding is being made available to make a difference. We also speak daily to dedicated public servants and private businesses across the UK, passionate about delivering their decarbonisation projects and making a difference for their community.
A large part of my last year has been spent, alongside our teams, developing Phase 4 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. This is one of our major programmes at Salix and has proved popular over the last four years.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was launched in 2020 and since then we have delivered phases 1-3 and we have just launched Phase 4, supporting more than 1,500 projects with £2.8bn of grant funding and forecast to remove over 425kT CO2 annually. That’s the equivalent of the average total emissions of over 70,000 homes each year.
But the scheme does so much more than just reduce the public sector’s carbon emissions. In many of the projects we have supported we are also making these buildings much better for those who work in them, visit them or use them.
Through our project work, we’ve heard stories about hospital wards where patient recovery has been significantly aided by being able to maintain a constant temperature and classrooms where pupils no longer have to wear their coats in the winter to keep warm!
At the time of writing this we have only just launched Phase 4, and the application portal remains open until Monday 25 November. This makes it an interesting time for us.
Phase 4 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is very different from previous phases. For a start, it’s not a first come first serve approach.
We are now allocating funding using a targeted allocation approach. This means the order in which grants are awarded will primarily be driven by the application’s grant carbon cost, although this will also be impacted by the sector, for example health, education and other as well as annual funding profile.
Other elements of the scheme will be very familiar to those that have used it before. For example, each building within the application must be served by a fossil fuel heating plant at the end of its useful life, generally this means more than 10 years old.
We also remain focused on ‘whole building’ approach. This simply means that applicants must consider the inclusion of building fabric improvements and energy efficiency measures as appropriate and where they reduce the heat or electrical demand of the building being heated by the proposed new low-carbon system.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is just one of the programmes we deliver at Salix. Have a look at our website to find out more about the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Low Carbon Skills Fund and about our work in Scotland and Wales.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re one of our biggest public sector clients or a small local body, we care equally about all our wide range of customers. Every funding recipient gets a dedicated team of experts to ensure we give our customers every opportunity to deliver the best possible project.
We’re also bringing thousands of people together through our webinars to discuss the challenges and the complexities of the net zero ambition. We’ve recently launched our Decarbonisation Dialogue series offering a chance to share issues facing the public sector.
We’ve been helping organisations lower their carbon emissions for more than two decades. Our strong track record can give confidence to new clients beginning their journey as well as to enhance the capabilities of more experienced operators.
Can we go faster?
I believe we cannot afford not to go faster.
This year at COP29 I want to see a convincing commitment to reach net zero global emissions by 2050, to see a faster move on renewables and an end to deforestation as well as big decisions over fossil fuels.
In the meantime, I remain hopeful and continue to be inspired by the passion of all those who we meet through our work at Salix. I am constantly enthused by the energy of teams around UK who are truly making a difference.
Yes, we can all go faster on the net zero agenda.
I am a firm believer that there’s a positive side to every story and although we face a daunting task, I am certain it is not an impossible one.
Afterall, this is our future, our children’s future and beyond.
For more about Salix, visit our website.
