Worthing gets government funding to help tackle climate change
Released: Friday, 24 March 2023
Worthing Borough Council has secured a £2.47 million government grant to help its drive to becoming net zero by 2030.
The money has been awarded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the programme of national funding to help local authorities reduce carbon emissions from public buildings.
We'll use the funding to remove gas-fired boilers from five of our town centre sites, while connecting the buildings to our forthcoming low-carbon heat network.
Heat networks consist of buried pre-insulated pipes that transport hot water to buildings. Energy would be generated via air source heat pumps, which means the supply would be more resilient than from other sources.
As well as connecting to the heat network, the funding will allow us to install energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and solar panels, to reduce the amount of energy required to heat and power our buildings. Overall the project is projected to reduce the carbon emissions from heating each building by over 75%, reducing our overall footprint by 300 tonnes, or about 10%.
We have set ourselves two goals in order to be active and accountable in our work to combat climate change. By 2030, we aim to be a carbon neutral local authority. By 2045, we want Worthing to be a carbon neutral town, reaching net zero across the borough.
Having declared an ecological emergency earlier this year, we are putting initiatives that tackle the ongoing effects of climate change on the environment, wildlife and public health at the forefront of our work.
Cllr Helen Silman, Worthing's Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, said:
“The Council is reinforcing its commitment to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change by investing in innovative projects.
“Decarbonisation of heat is essential if we are to achieve our net zero goals. This funding will support our drive away from the outdated polluting carbon emitting fossil fuel heating systems of the past."
Photo: Solar panels on Portland House, Worthing
(PR23-042)
Page last updated: 18 September 2023