About the project:
Midlands Net Zero Hub collaborated with Derbyshire County Council in application for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The aim was to help the organisation review the potential projects, assist with initial feasibility, and ultimately support in submitting the strongest project application.
Key facts:
The council has a commitment to achieve Net Zero for the corporate estate by 2032 or sooner. A detailed Decarbonisation Strategy report for the Corporate Estate is complete.
Current energy consumption across their estate is 10.7 million kWh electricity; 27.1 million kWh gas; 1 million kWh oil; total 38.8 million kWh; 7475 tC02e.
The ideal would be to completely decarbonise the estate and not to require any offsetting measures. The council will need PSDS grant assistance to support their project plans.
Lessons learnt
The council is implementing a programme of corporate building asset and service reviews. The outcome is a planned reduction in the size of the corporate estate, which made project selection more challenging.
Alice's View Children's Centre was selected as the ideal pilot project for heat pump technology as the team believe this represents an easy win. The building is 20 years old and in good condition. It is built to good thermal insulation standards, which means the building fabric does not require significant enhancement.
DCC want this flagship project to capture the imagination and the enthusiasm of political leaders, thereby to facilitate the allocation of additional capital funding for similar projects.
Role of the Hub
Working with Derbyshire County Council’s Environment and Sustainability teams, we undertook portfolio assessment. This involved assessing relevant buildings, energy and emissions data, and information to inform decision making.
Desktop feasibility studies and energy audits were also completed. This work found the building needs an air source heat pump with improved heating controls to enable remote monitoring and live energy consumption data.
Throughout the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme application process, the Midlands Net Zero Hub supported Derbyshire County Council with regular review meetings.