The British government is investing more than $845 million in public buildings to upgrade them and cut long-term energy costs. This is in an effort to reduce emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037 compared to a 2017 baseline.
“The support from the Government is a vital catalyst for this transformative endeavour, which we believe will empower the next generation of sustainability leaders and deepen community understanding of renewable energy technologies,” states Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York.
The funding will benefit public buildings like schools, care homes, libraries, and leisure centres. It is part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, a grant program dedicated to helping public sector organizations make their properties more energy-efficient through low-carbon technologies. This latest round – the Scheme’s fourth phase – brings the total investment to $1.26 billion, extending through the 2027-28 financial year. Changes to public buildings include replacing carbon-intensive heating systems with cleaner alternatives like heat pumps and solar panels, LED lighting to cut electricity usage, and insulation to keep the heat in. Supported interventions are intended to cut energy costs permanently while also reducing emissions.
