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Â鶹ӰԺ Leicester (Â鶹ӰԺ) has been awarded £176,718 to install a new carbon-cutting heat pump to power its media school.

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero has provided the funding as part of its newest round of grants to help the public sector switch to sustainable energy sources.

Leicester Media School

The money will be used to install an air source heat pump at the Leicester Media School, replacing an old, costly gas boilers and helping to reduce Â鶹ӰԺ’s carbon emissions and move the organisation closer to its goal of producing net zero carbon on its energy use by 2032.

Paul Eccleshare, energy manager at Â鶹ӰԺ said: “At Â鶹ӰԺ we have a heat decarbonisation plan for all our buildings, which aims for all our space and water heating to be net zero energy emissions by 2032. 

“The grant funding we have received from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme kickstarts this plan by allowing us to install a new, highly efficient air source heat pump at our Leicester Media School, replacing very old gas boilers.

“This will save around 560 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced over the project’s lifetime.”

The current gas boiler which will be replaced by the air source heat pump

The university has already installed a number of air source heat pumps to help heat buildings more sustainably and plans to have more fitted across campus over the coming years.

This new funding is part of a £1.8 billion package announced by the government, which will be used to fund energy-saving measures ranging from loft insulation to new windows at more than 115,000 homes across England.

An additional £1.1 billion in match funding for social housing provided by local authorities, providers of social housing and charities will bring the total investment to £2.5 billion to upgrade social and private homes in England.

Existing air source heat pumps on the roof of Bede House

From that total, more than £400 million has been allocated to public sector bodies across England to help reduce their carbon emissions. 144 public sector organisations responsible for hospitals, schools, leisure centres, museums and universities will benefit from this support.

This funding is being delivered through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which provides grants to public sector bodies to fund low carbon heating, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures such as heat pumps, solar panels and insulation. The scheme is being delivered on behalf of the government by Salix Finance.

Energy secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is a huge investment that will help households save hundreds on energy bills and see them heat their homes for less, and stay warm for longer.

“Not only this but the funding is also a huge boost for job creation and economic growth, opening up new and exciting opportunities across the UK’s ever-expanding green sector.”