Public real estate will benefit from electrified heating, fabric upgrades and greater energy efficiency.
In total, 20 buildings owned by Oxfordshire County Council will share the £10million budget, which forms part of the council’s ‘pathway to net zero’ project.
These include Abingdon Fire Station, Berinsfield Library, Thornhill Park & Ride and Whitney Resource Centre. During a council meeting on Friday 11th April procurement strategies were agreed, essentially giving a green light to the undertaking.
Heating systems will be upgraded to electric, cladding and other fabric improvements will contribute to better efficiency ratings, and on-site energy generation also factors into the plans. £360,000 of government funding will be used, with £10million match funded.
According to BBC News, while net zero goals are driving the project, a significant amount of the work would have been necessary without wider decarbonisation ambitions due to the age of the real estate stock involved. Grant funding must be spent by the end of this tax year, 31st March 2026.
‘In 2023/24 the council’s property accounted for approximately 35% of the emissions that need to be reduced to meet the carbon neutrality target by 2030,’ the council said in a statement issued to BBC News. ‘In addition, a reactive only maintenance approach has left much of the council’s estate in very poor-quality condition, with many components past their expected working life and in need of replacement irrespective of the carbon neutrality target.’
In February, the UK Space Agency announced funding for its Low Earth Obit (C-LEO) programme, with two projects receiving £16million in combined finance. This included EnSilica plc, headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Image: Anastasia Zhenina / Unsplash
More technology:
Leave a Reply