HEFCE funding of £10 million to cut carbon emissions

27th June 2011

HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) have now launched their invitation for applications for funding from the second phase of the Revolving Green Fund (RGF) for projects to reduce carbon emissions.

This second phase of funding builds on the demonstrable success of phase one, which made a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions, and extends HEFCE's support for universities to radically change their approaches to energy use. £10 million will be made available over the two years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

There will be two strands of funding. Both will support projects which result in reductions in carbon emissions and costs, contribute to behaviour change and help establish a low-carbon culture:

• Strand 1 targets small-scale projects to improve energy efficiency and will aim to reach a broad range of institutions.

• Strand 2 will make up to £3 million available for exemplary retrofit projects. These flagship initiatives will inform research, promote skills development and market growth in the relevant technologies - they must also demonstrate potential to capture and disseminate learning that will be of benefit across the higher education sector.

The energy efficiency improvements resulting from the projects will enable universities to reimburse the fund through the savings achieved.

A thorough evaluation of phase one of the RGF found that projects had accelerated carbon reduction and led to savings of more than 2 per cent of emissions from English higher education institutions each year. The investment in phase one could result in an 8.6 per cent annual cut in the sector's emissions by 2020.

In response to the findings of the evaluation of phase one, there will be no requirement for match funding in phase two, with the aim of engaging a wider range of institutions thereby increasing the fund's reach and impact.

EAUC Chief Executive Officer, Iain Patton sits on the RGF's Advisory Board and is delighted that the second phase has now been launched. He says "Revolving funding is coming of age so the EAUC is delighted to be involved in the second phase of RGF. The EAUC wants to see more closed-loop self-sustaining funding mechanisms like this to provide the capital we desperately need to retrofit our estate."

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