West Suffolk Council has secured £1.43m from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help deliver a range of energy efficiency, decarbonisation and battery energy storage projects in its climate emergency action plan.

The overall value of the work being carried out is £1.8m, with the Council providing 20.5 per cent match funding to secure the grant, an investment which will deliver energy savings and when fully operational generate income and cost savings estimated at £80,000 per year across six council owned properties.

Cllr John Griffiths, Leader of West Suffolk Council said,

‘The ability to deliver quickly was key to our successful bid, and I am delighted that the work already undertaken by our property and energy teams put us in such a strong position. One of the first things we did when West Suffolk Council was created in 2019 was to declare a climate emergency, and since then we have produced and been delivering within a plan, not just for the council, but to support others in our district working towards being carbon neutral by 2030. Investment in energy efficiency not only saves money, it is an investment in all our futures and environment, an approach that I commend to all residents, communities and businesses.’

In addition, West Suffolk Council is supporting Haverhill Town Council in preparing their own bid for the Arts Centre, which aims to replace their aging boiler plant with an air source heat pump.

The funding will result in,

  • Replacing gas with air source heat pumps at Nowton Park, Bury Bus Station and Haverhill House
  • Installing solar PV to reduce demand for grid supplied electricity at The Apex, Bury Bus Station, Vicon House and Provincial House
  • Improve the thermal performance by installing cladding, roof insulation and double glazing of Haverhill House and Provincial House
  • Install a 1MW battery at West Suffolk House to support the Western Way Development heat and power network development
  • Install energy efficient controls of heating systems at Nowton Park, Bury Bus Station and Haverhill House

For more information on West Suffolk Council’s environment work: Protecting our environment (westsuffolk.gov.uk)