Energy efficiency funding boost for UK colleges

Energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects in English, Scottish and Welsh further education (FE) colleges will be able to benefit from £5m of new funding.


The funding, put forward by finance agency Salix Finance, will act as a catalyst for investment in energy efficiency technologies, creating vital financial savings for FE colleges.

Projects will include boiler upgrades, conventional fluorescent lighting upgrades, building fabric insulation and improvements to heating and hot water distribution.

It comes off the back of £21m of funding already put forward by Salix to support energy efficiency projects in 201 FE colleges, saving the sector approximately £81m to date. 

Energy efficiency

Salix programme manager Hayley Condie said: “FE Colleges are faced with increasing pressure to reduce their energy bills.

“The new funding will provide the capital finance to help drive down energy bills and carbon consumption and improve the learning environment. Energy efficiency matters to students who are concerned about their carbon footprint.”

Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) chief executive Iain Patton said: “This fund will provide EAUC college members a new finance stream to invest in estate efficiency and create financial savings. In these hard times for colleges, this provides critical financial support for our members to deliver real results.”

Applications must be submitted by noon on Friday 30 January 2015 and funding will be awarded at the end of February 2015.

There has recently been a crescendo in the number of education-related sustainability news, suggesting that the academic sector is aligning itself with the environmental sector more so than ever before. In this recent feature article, edie assembled some of the courses and initiatives that highlight the growing relationship between education and sustainability. 

Lois Vallely

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe