WIREDGOV

Scheme could save £30 million a year on public sector energy bills.

A major programme to make public sector buildings more energy efficient gets underway today.

12 suppliers have been appointed to a procurement framework to deliver energy efficiency retrofit works and services that will improve the energy performance of the public sector.

The suppliers will ensure buildings are fitted with modern, efficient technology that supports the Scottish Government’s ambition on energy demand reduction and tackling climate change.

All Scottish public sector organisations, registered social landlords and third sector will be able to access the scheme.

The scale of the retrofit opportunity across the Scotland is estimated to be £300 million, with associated savings to public sector energy bills of up to £30 million per year.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said:

“This scheme could transform our public sector buildings and has the potential to save taxpayers millions of pounds.

“Improving the energy efficiency of all of Scotland’s buildings is a National Infrastructure Priority, and this is a significant step forward in the drive to cut energy and maintenance costs and reduce carbon emissions.

“These projects pay for themselves as energy savings will, over time, pay for the installation costs and will also deliver a variety of wider community benefit including employment opportunities and business growth opportunities for the Scottish supply chain.”

Iain MacLean, Head of Service at East Renfrewshire Council said:

“Having been directly involved in its development, I am very encouraged by the proposed launch of the national non-domestic energy efficiency framework next month. Energy efficiency retrofit provides a real opportunity to explore estate wide improvements that will ultimately pay for themselves.”

Notes To Editors

The Framework will cover retrofit to public sector buildings and grounds, including a combination of building fabric, building environmental services systems and their control (e.g. heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, water etc.) and local energy generation (including combined heat and power systems and district heating systems).

The economies of scale and standardised approach is attractive to both the public sector and private sector. It will also offer both better solutions and better value for money than single project procurement exercises run by individual public sector bodies.

The Scottish Government announced in summer 2015 that improving the energy efficiency of all of Scotland’s buildings will be designated a National Infrastructure Priority. The cornerstone of the National Infrastructure Priority will be Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme which will support the delivery of energy efficiency across all building types.

To support this, the Scottish Government has developed a framework agreement to support the implementation of energy efficiency measures across the Scottish public sector estate. The scale of the retrofit opportunity across the public sector is estimated to be £300 million.