Public sector decarbonisation guidance (PSDG) - Net Zero Go
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Public sector decarbonisation guidance (PSDG)

This Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance was commissioned by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Government Property Function to help public sector bodies and their decarbonisation partners understand the best route to Net Zero. We aim to help deliver decarbonisation projects at scale, as well as support grant funding applications, to enable rapid progress on reducing carbon emissions.

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Who should use this guidance?

This Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance was commissioned by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Government Property Function to help public sector bodies and their decarbonisation partners understand the best route to Net Zero.

We aim to help deliver decarbonisation projects at scale, as well as support grant funding applications, to enable rapid progress on reducing carbon emissions.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance will simplify the process of cutting carbon emissions and energy bills with simplicity, speed and scale.


Seven Themes to Decarbonise the Public Sector

Guidance and tools to help you to develop a data-led organisational strategy to decarbonise your public sector buildings including heating.

The guidance will help you set up your organisation for success, secure “buy-in” for your strategy, think about greenhouse gas reporting and give you an overview of the following six steps. The guidance complements the Net Zero Estate Playbook – developed by the Office of Government Property with support from Energy Systems Catapult.

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Developing and delivering your strategy

Develop a data-led organisational strategy to decarbonise your public sector buildings and sites.

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Developing and delivering your strategy: Understanding your timelines and risks

Developing a plan to deliver your decarbonisation programme.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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How to effectively make the case for decarbonisation projects to decision makers

This guide outlines key benefits and considerations you may wish to draw from when developing your own proposals covering several types of decarbonisation projects.

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Developing and Delivering Your Strategy: Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Guide

This guide helps you think about your stakeholder engagement and communications plans and how these are critical to the success of your programme.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Developing and Delivering Your Strategy: Understanding Your Energy Data

This short guide helps you to understand your energy data better and how it can inform your strategy and programme development.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Developing and delivering your strategy: Heat decarbonisation strategy guidance and template

These three resources will help you develop a high-quality heat decarbonisation strategy in line with the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) requirements.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

Develop detailed feasibility studies for one, or a suite of, investible decarbonisation measures, for example low carbon heating, aligned to your decarbonisation strategy. This guidance and tools will enable you to prioritise areas for delivery, know what to ask for and help you appraise technical options for delivering your desired outcomes.

Did you know? The average time it took to develop a feasibility study during MEP was 3 months.

Identifying the right procurement and contracting approaches, and working effectively with your procurement team is vital to delivering the projects in your decarbonisation strategy. These tools and guidance will help you identify relevant procurement frameworks, write high quality tenders and evaluate the responses.

Did you know? The public sector procures 30,000 LED bulbs each year.

Securing funding sources and agreement on what to spend are key enablers to delivering your decarbonisation strategy. Our guidance and tools will help you work out what your projects will cost, apply for available grants for the public sector, including applying to DESNZ’s delivery body Salix Finance for grants from the Low Carbon Skills Fund and/or the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

This guidance will help you to project manage the installation of decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures and effectively manage your decarbonisation partners. 

We cover how to effectively manage risks and issues that may arise, monitor progress against a programme of works and implement quality assurance processes.


Further Resources

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Developing and delivering your strategy

Develop a data-led organisational strategy to decarbonise your public sector buildings and sites.

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

Resource

Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Developing and delivering your strategy: Understanding your timelines and risks

Developing a plan to deliver your decarbonisation programme.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Design and Feasibility

Develop detailed feasibility studies for investible decarbonisation measures, for example low-carbon heating, aligned to your overall strategy.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Funding

Securing funding sources and agreement on what to spend are key enablers to delivering your decarbonisation strategy.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Procurement

Identifying the right procurement and contracting approaches, and working effectively with your procurement team is vital to delivering the projects in your decarbonisation strategy.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Installation

This guidance will help you to project manage the installation of decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures and effectively manage your decarbonisation partners.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Commissioning and handover

Maximising the benefits delivered from a completed project is supported with guidance about the handing over process, the commissioning and correct set-up of equipment, and staff training.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Monitoring and evaluation

This guidance helps ensure that the benefits of energy efficiency measures and decarbonisation are delivered through metering and analysis.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Skills and Capabilities Guide

This guide covers the skills and capabilities, including referral links to other Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance, that might be required for each of the activities you and your team need…

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance – Glossary

This document is intended to assist you in understanding programme and activity terminology and the organisations commonly used/referred to across the Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance (PSDG).

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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High-Level Decarbonisation Intervention Estimator

The High-Level Decarbonisation Intervention Estimator will provide a snapshot view of the potential benefits when considering a range of decarbonisation projects at a building or site level. This will be…

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance – Business as Usual Estimator

This Business as Usual Estimator allows input of building, site, or portfolio-level energy consumption data.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance – Interventions Estimator

This Interventions Tool has been developed to be used in conjunction with the Business as Usual Estimator.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: BMS intervention estimator

This estimator is designed to provide an estimation of the costs and energy efficiency benefits of upgrading or installing a new building management system (BMS) on a campus-style site or…

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Building fabric intervention estimator

This estimator is designed to support the assessment of site building fabric and give an understanding of relevant energy consumption building by building on either a campus style site or…

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Lighting intervention estimator

This estimator is designed to provide an estimation of the costs and energy efficiency benefits of upgrading existing lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting on a campus-style site or at…

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Site Energy Demand Estimator

This estimator is designed to provide a breakdown of site energy demand, disaggregated at the building level by fuel source (Electricity, Gas, Biomass and Heat Network), based on aggregated site…

Provided by: Modern Energy Partners

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance – Net Zero Organisational Assessment

This assessment tool identifies areas for improvement within your organisation’s operational model to unlock and support scaled delivery of decarbonisation.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: Heat networks guide

The guide covers what a heat network will look like at a high-level, the process for assessing the technical and economic feasibility of connecting to a scheme, stakeholder engagement and…

Experience level: Foundation

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Public Sector Decarbonisation Guidance: schools resource hub

Access essential, government-backed decarbonisation resources for schools and colleges

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Heat Pumps: Which one is right for your site and what else to consider alongside

This guide has been developed to give guidance on what heat pump types may be appropriate for a particular site or situation.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Developing and delivering your strategy: Heat decarbonisation strategy guidance and template

These three resources will help you develop a high-quality heat decarbonisation strategy in line with the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) requirements.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

Resource

Developing and Delivering Your Strategy: Understanding Your Energy Data

This short guide helps you to understand your energy data better and how it can inform your strategy and programme development.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

Resource

Developing and Delivering Your Strategy: Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Guide

This guide helps you think about your stakeholder engagement and communications plans and how these are critical to the success of your programme.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult

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Guidance for public sector greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and reporting

Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) has produced guidance to support the public sector to decarbonise its built estate.

Provided by: Energy Systems Catapult