The University of Reading has been awarded over £3.4 million to deliver a range of carbon-reducing initiatives across its campuses.
Funding of £3.2 million is one of the first grants in the country to be awarded by Salix Finance as part of the new Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, a £1 billion grant scheme launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in October. The scheme will accelerate the decarbonisation of public sector buildings.
A further £119,000 has been awarded from Salix’s complimentary Low Carbon Skills Fund for additional resource to support delivery of the main grant, plus £45,000 for a number of feasibility studies for future heat decarbonisation schemes.
Dan Fernbank, energy and sustainability manager at the University of Reading, said: “This is a major win for us in terms of pushing forward with a tranche of new carbon reduction initiatives.
“Projects need to be implemented by September 2021 at the latest so we have focused our energies on programmes that can be delivered in that timescale. “
The projects include:
- Improved heating zoning and controls in two flagship buildings
- A programme of laboratory and farm refrigeration/freezer upgrades
- A major LED lighting rollout
- A major expansion of solar panels on Whiteknights campus
- Replacement of inefficient drying cabinets throughout science labs
- Replacement of ventilation systems
- Replacement and re-sizing of numerous inefficient air conditioning units
- Improved sensors and controls to multiple heating and ventilation systems
- Preparatory works for future heat decarbonisation
The combined projects are anticipated to save 816 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first year and £423,000 in energy costs.
The University says it has already made significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint and is on course to surpass its target of a 45% carbon reduction by 2021.
