Cutting carbon in Stockport

In autumn 2020, Clear Futures supported several public sector bodies with applications for the first wave of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) grant funding from central government.

Stockport Council needed strategic support to analyse their estate and effectively plan how to meet upcoming net zero targets. The council looked to Clear Futures to provide additional resource and expertise to develop a competitive funding application to unlock local decarbonisation projects and support their net zero goals.

Clear Futures provided a timely, compliant procurement route that overcame the time constraints posed by the funding deadline and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Clear Futures and our partners supported Stockport Council with initial feasibility assessments, by creating project business cases, and identifying a compliant procurement route that would deliver the works to decarbonise Stockport Council’s built estate most efficiently.

Understanding Stockport’s decarbonisation challenge

Clear Futures Joint Venture Partner, AECOM, gained a clear insight of building conditions, operational carbon and energy performance in the council’s existing building stock. Looking at the estates data collected via an existing energy management portal, we pinpointed eight priority buildings for optimisation works.

Thanks to AECOM’s technical expertise, site surveys identified £4.5m of decarbonisation projects to upgrade the buildings and significantly reduce carbon output. A robust decarbonisation action plan was created to support the business case and funding application.

After submitting the application on behalf of the local authority, the project team provided further support for Stockport Council, including preparing initial project plans, risk register, supply chain engagement, planning and site capacity assessments.

How Clear Futures helped

• Strategic support: developed ambitious net zero strategy aligned to Stockport Council’s key targets and policies.
• Decarbonisation expertise: advisory services for initial building assessments and surveys which identified low carbon opportunities.
• Finance solution: business cases and project plans for capital funding demonstrated project costs, payback, carbon consumption reduction and operational energy cost savings from the proposed projects.
• Delivery vehicle: a compliant procurement route.
• Project management: assessment and business case work to meet key project deadlines, with a project team assembled in advance of the funding award for a seamless transition into delivery.
• Planning: project plans and programmes that showed how the council would meet deadlines set out in the PSDS.
• Flexibility: worked to meet Stockport Council’s needs in a constantly changing environment.

The funding boost brings forward energy efficiency upgrades to Stockport Council’s priority public buildings.