Net Zero: Helping you meet your carbon targets

Meeting Net Zero Targets

Trusts and schools will be developing their environment strategies ready to meet decarbonisation targets and reach net zero carbon across their estates by 2030 and longer term 2050 under the Climate Change Act.

Place Group provides an end-to-end solution to enable Trusts and schools to meet their net zero vision objectives efficiently and effectively through a phased programme approach. This approach, or ‘journey’, is underpinned by our technical and programme management expertise in the educational built environment space, and by our estates supply chain vehicle, Everything FM.

There are 10 stages of the journey, which begins with Trust’s and school’s environment strategies;

• Setting net zero carbon targets that align to your environment strategy, both to ensure synergy between strategy, supply chain and environmental target.
• Carry out carbon footprint assessments using your estates data and our site inspections. Whilst the UK public sector only contributes 2% to carbon emissions, the build environment contributes to 39% of global emissions.
• Produce estates retrofit and maintenance blueprints to meet your net zero carbon targets including heat decarbonisation plan, and initial carbon literacy plan across all staff, students and suppliers.
• Bid for Government grants in readiness to support retrofit plans – for example the next phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, Condition Improvement Funding and other relevant capital funding schemes likely as a result of COP26 and the Government’s commitment to a 78% reduction in emissions by 2030.
• Produce your Trust’s Supplier Net Zero Standards Charter – setting out the standards by which suppliers must adhere in terms of their commitment to low carbon solutions across their organisation; carbon footprints, energy, materials and resources, transport, waste etc. Suppliers will be required to set out their carbon reduction plans and how they support those of the Trust.
• Establish your dedicated MAT net zero supply chain using the Everything FM Framework to avoid set up costs and ensure compliance. Everything FM onboards national, regional and local suppliers that meet due diligence tests and the Trust’s Net Zero Charter Standards.
• Suppliers are selected from your supply chain using direct award or mini competition to ensure value for money, managed by the Everything FM procurement experts.
• Supplier data is collected quarterly on carbon reduction as defined by your Trust Charter, aligned to your environmental targets.
• Place Group provides a quarterly report to the Trust with a dashboard showing supplier contributions against net zero carbon targets.
• Review decarbonisation measures annually across your estate, including the impact made by your supply chain, and changes in staff and student behaviours.

Contact us today and we’ll and help kick-start your decarbonisation journey.

Available Funding

Funding will play a large part in achieving your goals; there are two upcoming grants you should be aware of:

Phase 3 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), delivered by Salix and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), has recently been announced. The purpose of this scheme is to implement your heat decarbonisation plans through energy efficiency measures, particularly transitioning older fossil fuel-based heating systems to low carbon heating solutions. The application window opens on Wednesday 6^th October.

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is designed to help you improve your premises ensuring they are safe and secure. The funding supports projects that focus on compliance, health and safety and maintenance; it can also help you address your heating and hot water solutions too, making your buildings more environmentally friendly. The 2022/2023 funding is likely to follow the same pattern as last year with the application form going live in October.

With all funding applications, we would recommend starting the process as early as possible, so you are prepared for when they open. As part of our carbon net zero end-to-end solution, not only can we assist with writing your grant applications, but we can help you procure your supply chain to implement your needs.