Community groups developing projects with the aim of making buildings warmer and cheaper to heat can seek support via two Scottish Government resources. These resources are already being used to successfully support energy efficiency programmes in the public sector.
1. Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard (NZPBS)
The Scottish Government’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard (NZPBS) was developed by building industry experts and can give direction to communities to refurbish or build new community facilities which reduce energy use, save money, and contribute to Scotland’s Net Zero ambitions.
Originally developed to support public sector and local authority buildings, the tools and guidance resources created for this standard can help a community plan and deliver improvements to the energy efficiency of existing buildings and the construction of new ones.
The Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard is a set of two voluntary standards to support public bodies meet their net zero commitments for new builds and for major refurbishment projects.
The aim is to embed energy, emissions and environmental objectives within a project from concept and design, through delivery (construction or retrofit) to the building’s operation and continuous improvement. The Standard recommends appointing an Inclusive Net Zero Champion (INZC) to the project who, using the requirements of this standard, sets objectives for carbon emissions and energy efficiency – they can coordinate with the project and contractors regarding the best way to achieve these standards.
The standard and a guidance library are available on the Scottish Futures website.
2. Non Domestic Energy Efficiency Framework (NDEEF)
The Scottish Government can offer organisations classified as Scottish Third Sector, including registered charities, access to the Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency Framework (NDEEF) of pre-approved suppliers capable of retrofitting buildings with energy efficiency assets to guarantee carbon and costs savings. Community groups using this service can also receive support on getting the best value in goods and services from this framework by using the expertise of the Project Support Unit (PSU).
The supplier frameworks are divided into projects under £1 million and projects over £1 million. These two National Procurement Framework Agreements provide pre-approved suppliers who are able to retrofit public sector and third sector buildings with energy efficiency measures using Energy Performance Contracts to guarantee carbon and costs savings.
Additionally, the Scottish Government Project Support Unit (PSU) supports users of the frameworks to develop and issue tenders for available services; provides project management and technical advice on services, including energy efficiency; and can provide up to £50,000 of grant funding per project.
More details can be found on the Scottish Government website.
