Contractor William Birch & Sons Ltd has been awarded a £1.5m contract to decarbonise Bridlington Spa, Beverley-based Annie Reed Road Depot, and County Hall for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. A further £400k has been spent on project support, delivery, and design by external consultancy AECOM.
The money comes from Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which gave the council £1.9m from a £1bn grants pot, reflecting the public sector’s role in meeting the Government’s net zero commitment by 2050.
William Birch’s portfolio spans construction, refurbishment, and restoration projects with a strong emphasis on sustainability.
The Beverley Depot will be benefitting from air source heat pumps to reduce the reliance on gas fired boilers for both heating and hot water.
County Hall will also gain air source heat pumps to reduce the reliance on gas fired boilers for both heating and hot water. Plans are also in place for the installation of energy efficient windows, replacement energy efficient hand dryers and the installation of flow restrictors to hand wash taps to reduce water consumption.
Bridlington Spa will see from air source heat pumps installed and replacement energy efficient windows and upgrading to energy efficient air conditioning units
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which will be delivered by Salix, with the aim of supporting the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19, supporting up to 30,000 jobs in the low carbon and energy efficiency sectors.
Claire Hoskins, interim head of service of Asset Strategy at the council, said: “The decarbonisation of heat within existing council buildings is a significant challenge.
“The award of these three projects represents an important step towards addressing this issue within public buildings and realising the council’s net zero ambitions. Work is already well underway as we look to move into a more sustainable future for the council’s buildings.”
