Success story: University of West London
In 2020, the University of West London (UWL) declared a climate emergency and committed to becoming a net zero carbon institution by 2030. With a large estate, retrofitting their existing buildings was going to play an important role in reaching that goal.
Following on from their previous success using the RE:FIT Framework for a series of carbon reduction works in 2019 totalling more than £800k, the University secured £5.1m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with support from the Retrofit Accelerator - Workplaces team. This was the largest amount awarded to a UK university during the first round of PSDS funding.
Projects over four sites include low emission heating, both ground source and air-source heat pumps, Building Management System optimisation and lighting upgrades, as well as a Photovoltaic Thermal system.
The ground source heat pump system installed at UWL’s St Mary’s Road campus is one of the largest across the higher education sector in the UK.
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529
tCO2 saved per year
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29%
overall energy savings in kWh
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£5.1m
PSDS funding secured
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£15m
social value return on investment
How the Retrofit Accelerator – Workplaces supported University of West London?
The Retrofit Accelerator team supported the university in procuring a RE:FIT service provider, who then developed a robust investment grade proposal (IGP), providing technical guidance to ensure the programme of works successfully met the criteria for PSDS funding.
The team also supported the university with training and up-skilling specifically on monitoring and verification, a much-needed skill to ensure the success of the programme and the realisation of long-term savings following installation.
Investing in social value
As part of their wider commitment to becoming a leader in environmental sustainability management, UWL commissioned a social value report that forecasted a social return on investment (SROI) of £15m from the project. That means for every £1 invested, there is a £2.98 social return.
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Client testimonial
The second phase of the RE:FIT scheme delivered via the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, has enabled UWL to make a step change in the way we supply our estate with and use our energy.
The programme for delivery of air-source and ground-source heat pumps across our estate and installation of photovoltaic panels has seen a departure from conventional technologies, which has enabled us to make a significant leap towards our ambitions to be a net zero carbon institution by 2030.
We were able to deliver such energy saving works due to the availability of external funding and the invaluable support from the Retrofit Accelerator team.