Retrofit investment saves Greater Manchester public estate £2m annually

Carbon emissions across Greater Manchester’s public buildings reduced by over 7,000 tonnes per year, according to the combined authority (GMCA) for the city-region.

Energy efficiency improvements to more than 200 properties are the result of more than £78m from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).

Air source heat pumps, solar panels and improved insulation helped the Royal Northern College of Music reduce emissions by an estimated 349 tonnes annually, while Salford Sports Village has seen heat decarbonisation and energy generation technology installed to save 36 tonnes of carbon annually.

Other measures implemented include the installation of LED lighting and energy monitoring and control systems to ensure facilities can accurately monitor their energy usage.

The savings have helped the public estate reduce its energy use by more than 43 million kWh, saving over £2m annually and helping the city-region toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2038.

Cllr Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for the green city region, waste and recycling, said retrofitting public buildings was “an important step” in ensuring buildings in the area producing as little carbon as possible.

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“We hope that insight from the PSDS so far will go on to help us make further improvements and compel other owners in the city-region to make similar improvements to their own buildings,” he said.

The scheme, which is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and delivered by Salix Finance, has created or safeguarded around 2,000 jobs in the region, according to the GMCA.

The government’s recent growth plan included a reiterated promise to inject a further £635m into the PSDS scheme, with bidding for funding set to open shortly.

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