Salford City Council Work with RPS on £5M Decarbonisation Scheme
A £5 million scheme to make Salford’s public buildings more energy efficient is now underway, with RPS working with the council on a project set to save hundreds of tonnes of carbon.
Works at Cleavley Athletics Track and Clifton Country Park have already been completed with air source heat pumps installed at both sites to save a combined 33 tonnes of CO² a year.
The buildings are two of 12 that will be retrofitted with the £5 million that the council was awarded from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority after it was awarded a £78 million grant through the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to undertake decarbonisation works to 138 buildings across Greater Manchester. The retrofitting of public buildings to make them more energy-efficient is a core part of the council’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2038.
Air source heat pumps are a key alternative to gas or oil systems to heat buildings. The pumps use heat from the air to heat a liquid which is then used to heat the inside of the buildings and to make hot water.
Other buildings set for energy-efficient upgrades include the Town Hall in Swinton, Broughton Hub, Salford Sports Village and Northfield Children’s Home. Alongside this, the council previously installed solar panels at 11 council owned sites across the city earlier this year and has secured further funding from the programme to install panels at a further ten sites with works beginning before the end of 2021.
The council is working to complete the decarbonisation works across the public estate by the end of Spring 2022 and it is anticipated that the total CO² saving will be 295 tonnes.
Councillor Mike McCusker, Lead Member for Planning and Sustainable Development, said: “To tackle the climate emergency, we need to take action now and do whatever we can to limit emissions. By decarbonising our public estate, we hope to lead the way in taking the steps that others can take to get to carbon neutrality in Salford by 2038.
“The decarbonisation scheme is a vital programme that is not only creating and protecting jobs in Salford but is fostering and developing the skillset that will help us create a greener Salford.”
Graham Rothwell, Chief Executive, RPS Group commented: “RPS Group are delighted to be partnering with Salford City Council on this decarbonisation scheme. The installation of ASHP systems will provide buildings with efficient heating systems that generate both efficiencies and contribute towards much needed carbon savings.
“We are really pleased to see Salford City Council driving innovation by installing renewable heating alternatives across their buildings.”
