Energy Efficiency: Resources and Financial Support

Guidance and Reports

• The Scottish Government webpage on Energy Efficiency provides an overview of up-to-date government policy action. It has pages specific to Non-Domestic Buildings and Public Sector decarbonisation.
• London Energy Transformation Initiative’s (LETI) Climate Emergency Retrofit Guide is useful for local authorities looking for guidance about best practice retrofit. They also host a Whole Life Carbon webinar series to provide trainings.
• UK government’s Guide to making Retrofit Work (2014) discusses learnings and examples from their Retrofit for the Future campaign.
• Video recording of a SSN Event on Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation (June 2021). 
• Energy Efficient Scotland (EES) provides guidance for SMEs – applicable to the public sector -  on steps they can take to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.
• The Retrofit Academy offers retrofit coordinator training.
• The Environment Study Centre provides advice and events on retrofit and qualifications in retrofitting traditional buildings.
• The Public Building Energy Efficiency Report provides a deep-dive analysis of the energy performance and efficiency of public buildings in England and Wales.
• The Committee on Climate Change’s report UK housing: Fit for the future? (2019).

Financial Support

• The Scottish government has pledged £1.8 billion of capital funding over the course of this current parliament (2021-2026) for heat decarbonisation, allowing for the acceleration of energy efficiency upgrades and renewable heating deployment. The SSN webpage on the Public Sector Funding Map provides a good summary table of all government funding available to public bodies, the relevant document pages on energy efficiency are p1-5. 
• The Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme (launched 2021) is the main government-led capital funding mechanism to support leadership for decarbonisation of public buildings. It provides capital funding to the public sector to enable retrofitting of energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation to existing buildings. It will distribute £200 million of capital support between 2021-2026. The scheme consists of three components:

1. The SALIX Finance Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme offers zero interest loans to all public bodies to enable them to undertake retrofit energy efficiency improvement projects. This includes installing insulation and ventilation.
2. The Non-Domestic Public Energy Efficiency (NDEE) Procurement Framework and Project Support Unit. The NDEE framework supports the public and third sector to retrofit their non-domestic properties. There are two National Procurement Framework Agreements: one for projects under £1 million capital and the other for projects over £1 million capital. The NDEEF Project Support Unit supports users of the NDEE frameworks to develop to develop, procure & deliver energy saving projects.
3. The Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme offers capital grant funding to public bodies classified as central government to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and install low and zero carbon heat systems.

• The UK Government’s BEIS has a Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. The next application window is expected to open to applications in autumn 2023.