Bought by The Bedford College Group in 2012, the former Harpur Trust private school, Trinity chapel and leisure facility site has already undergone a sympathetic modernisation inside to make it more comfortable for students and allow the provision of the latest technology in teaching tools.
An earlier ESFA 16-18 Expansion Fund supported the redevelopment of the Sixth Form site to enable more students to study within the town centre buildings.
After successfully being selected, this “decarbonisation” funding focusses on installing high tech low carbon technologies and removing fossil fuel heating systems. New technologies include air source heat pumps, renewed mechanical and electrical services, insulation, secondary glazing, motion sensing energy saving devices.
This is part of a national Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (Phase 3). The Bedford College Group has delivered a range of decarbonisation projects on other sites with funding from a Phase 1 award. The Group has recently been nominated for an award in connection to the River Water Heating solution which was a key project for the Phase 1 work at the Bedford College riverside campus in Bedford.
Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said:
“Installing low carbon systems to heat our civic buildings will help to shield public sector organisations across the East of England from a costly reliance on fossil fuels, especially at a time of high global prices.”
Decarbonising public sector buildings with energy efficiency and low carbon heat will save local authorities, public bodies and taxpayers in England an estimated average of £650 million per year on energy bills to 2037. Phase 3 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is the next step on delivering these savings for public sector buildings.
Funding from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will provide grants to 14 public sector organisations in the East of England for installing 23 heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects.
Projects where public buildings will be upgraded include:
Bedford College Group receiving £2.6 million to decarbonise 5 of their buildings, including the Grade II listed building at Bedford Sixth Form. Air source heat pumps will be installed to replace all existing fossil fuel heating boilers and water heaters, along with fitting roof and loft insulation and upgrading the building energy management system.
The Bedford College Group CEO Ian Pryce CBE said:
“It is important that educators show leadership when it comes to sustainability. We have tried to invest in making our buildings more energy efficient and grants have helped us accelerate those improvements in line with the wishes of our students and our communities.”
Find out more: The Association for Decentralised Energy
