Information about a scheme that could help your Bristol maintained school save on energy bills with no upfront costs.
If you sign up to our energy scheme we'll:
- audit your school for potential energy savings
- manage the procurement, works and most of the financial process
Your energy efficiency measures will be paid for using a 0% loan which is then repaid using the cost savings from your reduced running costs.
Once your loan is repaid, you'll have an increased budget to spend on improving school resources.
To join the Bristol Schools Energy Efficiency Scheme:
Email: freddie.collins@bristol.gov.uk (Investment Project Manager)
Call: 0117 357 4390
The energy audit
We'll carry out an initial energy efficiency audit, with no charge, to get an idea of possible savings as part of the initial meeting with you.
This audit will look at all possible energy saving measures. It's likely that the measures found will fall into four main categories: lighting, insulation, heating systems and equipment.
If you join the programme you'll receive an in depth investment grade audit which will form a fully costed proposal.
We'll pay the upfront costs of the audit and if you go ahead with the proposed measures it'll be paid out of the identified savings.
Reduced financial risk
The energy efficiency measures identified by the audit will be paid for using a 0% loan.
The funding behind the Bristol Schools Energy Efficiency Scheme is only available for certain projects or groups of projects, as the payback time is 8 years. This makes sure that only secure improvements and quick wins are targeted.
The annual savings of the project must equal or exceed the yearly repayment of the loan, so there's no overall impact on the finances of the school over the period of the loan.
The energy loan
The energy efficiency loan is provided by Salix, a government financed scheme, set up to increase the uptake of energy efficiency projects by removing the cost of entry. This is achieved by offering 100% interest-free capital to the public sector to improve energy efficiency and cut energy bills.
School savings
The amount of possible savings will vary from school to school, dependant on the measures already installed and the age of the building. This information will come to light after the energy audit. In general, we believe that on average 10 to 20% can be saved on electricity and gas spend.
We've created over £4m of energy efficiency using this loan system, saving over £1m/year. The technologies implemented, such as LED lighting and insulation, are well known with energy savings scientifically calculated.
If the savings aren't what we originally estimated in the audit then we'll review why this is happening, and rectify any problems. Also if there has been an issue with the equipment or how it was installed then this will be covered by the warranty and it will be rectified at no additional cost to the school.
Installing the improvements
We'll arrange for the works at a time that suits you, which will likely be in school holidays. There also may be some change to the aesthetics of the school in the case of a LED lighting project.