Climate Change Asset Decarbonisation Design Project: Alchemai
In September 2023, Bassetlaw District Council sent a member of its Climate Change team to the Innovate UK’s Design Engineering Innovation Lab. During the five-day workshop, the officer representing the Council joined a handful of consortia projects, including Alchemai.
Advanced Low Carbon Heat and Energy Modelling Accelerating Investment, also known as Alchemai, is a £2.45m project that aims to rapidly mobilise decarbonisation of building designs that minimise capital expenditure and open opportunities for projects to be rolled out on a portfolio scale, further facilitating new financing opportunities.
The Council, as Principal Asset Owner, will be responsible for offering a range of building sites and architypes for the project to design. Find out more by reading the report.
Low Carbon Skills Fund
Council awarded Governments Grants for energy audits.
In November 2020, the Council was successful in the first round of low carbon skills funding (LCSF) and were awarded £12,000 to conduct building energy audits at two assets, including the Kilton Forest Golf Clubhouse. The heat decarbonisation plan prepared was used for the successful application of the decarbonisation works grant funded by the public sector decarbonisation scheme.
In September 2021, the Council was successful in being awarded £70,630 of low carbon skills funding (LCSF) phase 2 for the preparation of heat decarbonisation plans for 14 of the greatest emitting Council assets. These heat decarbonisation plans were prepared following a building energy audit to BS EN 16247 part 2 of each of the sites. Energy saving opportunities are identified with consideration to the building’s fabric, mechanical and electrical building services, building operation and maintenance and occupancy interaction.
These heat decarbonisation plans are useful in preparation of designing decarbonisation projects and for use in applications for grant funding. The heat decarbonisation plan created with LCSF 2 funding for the Council’s primary office building, Queen’s Buildings was used to apply for phase 3 of the public sector decarbonisation scheme which the Council was successful.
The Council was successful again in June 2023 and was awarded £80,393.12 of LCSF phase 4 for the preparation of heat decarbonisation plans and development of detailed designs for a further 14 Council assets.
Queen's Buildings Decarbonisation
Queen's Buildings decarbonised with Government Grant.
In January 2022, the Council was awarded a grant of £1,047,500 through the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme “to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills”.
Queen’s Buildings was identified as the highest energy consuming Council site and therefore, was submitted for PSDS funding to design and build a full decarbonisation project. At Queen’s Buildings, the end-of-life gas heating and hot water system was replaced with eight air source heat pumps and solar panels were installed to provide a source of renewable energy. The energy efficiency of the building was improved through the installation of double-glazed windows, LED lighting, floor and loft insulation and an upgrade to the building management system.
The works have been predicted to cut the emissions at Queen’s Buildings of tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq) from 238.8497 a year to 83.98422 a year, a reduction of 65%.
Council Electric Vehicle Adoption
Following the successful launch of two electric street sweepers last year, which are being used in Worksop Town Centre, in September 2023, the Council replaced six diesel vehicles in their fleet with new electrical vehicles. This will help to strengthen the Council’s green credentials and make a significant step towards the goal of being net zero by 2040.
The new Renault Kangoo E-Tech vans are charged at the Council’s Carlton Forest depot, which in 2022 saw the building equipped with solar PV and electrical vehicle charge points. With a range of 186 miles on a full charge, the vans are used by lots of different teams across the council including Environmental Health, Parks and Open Spaces, Facilities and the Anti-Social Behaviour Team.
The Council plans to replace its entire diesel fleet with electric vehicles, over the coming of years. This includes refuse vehicles as it makes an ambitious move towards reaching its Net Zero target of 2030.
Kilton Forest Golf Club Decarbonisation
The Council was awarded £319,722 as part of a highly competitive bid to the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
The full decarbonisation project at the Kilton Forest Golf Clubhouse replaced the end-of-life heating system and installed energy efficiency measures. This project is expected to help reduce carbon emissions by more than 70% from the clubhouse, avoiding over 43 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).
The works included the removal of the oil-fired boiler, oil tank, radiators, heating pipework, electricals and 12 single-glazed windows. They were replaced with new, energy efficiency air source heat pumps and LED lighting. The site was installed with improved roof insulation to 250 mm in 4 areas, double glazing, and solar panels to reduce electrical consumption.
Retrofit Success in Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw District Council received over £1m of central government funding for the Sustainable Warmth Competition (SWC), which ran from early 2022 to the end of March 2023. This scheme has provided over 60 properties in Bassetlaw, both on and off mains gas with a range of energy efficiency measures including external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and solar panels. In line with building standards/regulations for new insulation installs, ventilation has been installed in tandem with the appropriate measures where necessary.
Residents are already noticing the benefits of retrofit, including a reduction in damp and an updated appearance to properties, which have had external wall insulation. Below is a picture of a property in Rhodesia that had external wall insulation fitted by our delivery partners, Westville Insulation, a local company specialising in high quality insulation.
Mr and Mrs Thomas, from Rhodesia, have benefitted from the scheme and recently had external wall insulation fitted to their home. Mr Thomas said; “Before the improvements, we used to get mould on our kitchen wall and I had to paint it a couple of times in the winter. The windowsills were also cracked and let moisture through.
“Since we’ve had the work done it’s been much better and overall it’s much warmer. Now we only have the heating on for an hour in the morning and we can manage all day and then only have it on a night when it’s cold.”
Due to the success of the scheme, Bassetlaw District Council were awarded an additional allocation of over £500k to continue the scheme for properties on mains gas until the end of September 2023. This budget was fully allocated and works continued in the District. Furthermore, the Council have been allocated an additional £3.9 million for the new home upgrade grants phase 2 (HUG2) scheme which will continue the scheme for properties off main gas until 2025.
Last Updated on Friday, May 3, 2024