The Scottish government has launched a major energy efficiency programme which could cut annual energy costs across public sector bills by an estimated £30 million.
A raft of suppliers have already been selected to deliver the Non Domestic Energy Efficiency Works and Services (NDEE) Framework, which will see buildings fitted with new measures designed to improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s public buildings.
The new scheme will be carried out by local authorities and follows the launch of a similar programme targeting businesses and community groups in January. All Scottish public sector organisations, registered social landlords and the voluntary sector will be able to access the scheme.
Holyrood has estimated that the scale of the retrofit opportunity across the Scotland is estimated to be £300 million. This figure has been based on the aggregation of specific energy efficiency retrofit opportunities identified in a number of business cases with the total size of the public sector – over 19 million square metres.
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.”
The NDEE framework will cover a range of works including improvements to building fabric, environmental services systems and controls and local energy generation like combined heat and power systems and district heating systems.
The launch is the latest in a series of initiatives proposed by the Scottish government after making energy efficiency an infrastructure priority; a decision yet to be made by the Westminster government.
This Scottish government’s push to reduce emissions through efficiency measures follows growing support in Scotland for the clean energy agenda as the country prepares for May’s Holyrood elections. A recent YouGov poll found that two-thirds of those asked agreed that the next government should “continue to take forward policies that tackle greenhouse gas emissions and climate change”.
The same poll found that support for renewable technologies was also riding high, with 70% wanting to see more clean energy deployment.
This follows a strong uptick in solar deployment across Scotland, with a number of ground-mounted sites expected to be brought online by the end of the month.
This year’s Solar Power Portal Roadshows will be visiting Edinburgh on Thursday 17 March, offering unique insight and expertise on the solar market for installers, local authorities and end users. For more information, and to register for free, click here.
