Aircon and refrigeration part of £3.4m university upgrade
25th February 2021UK: Upgrades to the air conditioning and refrigeration systems are to be part of a £3.4m carbon-reducing initiative at Reading University.
Funding of £3.2m 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 £1bn grant scheme launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in October. The aim of the Scheme is to 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.
The university’s carbon-reducing projects include a programme of laboratory and farm refrigeration/freezer upgrades with modern, energy efficient replacements and the replacement and re-sizing of numerous inefficient air conditioning units. Also included is the replacement of inefficient ventilation systems and the addition of improved heating and ventilation sensors and controls.
The combined projects are anticipated to save 816tCO2 in their first year and £423,000 in energy costs. Projects need to be implemented by September.
