{"id":45963,"date":"2026-03-13T16:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T16:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=45963"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:06:25","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-doorstep-40m-plan-to-cut-carbon-emissions-at-35-public-buildings-in-liverpool-city-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=45963","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the doorstep\u2019: \u00a340m plan to cut carbon emissions at 35 public buildings in Liverpool City Region"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1007\" src=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1-1024x1007.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-45964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1-1024x1007.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1-768x755.jpg 768w, https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Georges_Dock_building_1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-gray-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-2b46b21cbd1b80e5345ab50823be0096\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:George%27s_Dock_building_1.jpg\"><em>image for illustration: George&#8217;s Dock building, Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liverpool\u2019s world-famous waterfront is set to benefit from a \u00a340m investment to cut carbon emissions at 35 public buildings across the City reports Liverpool City Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Liverpool City Region writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a340m programme to cut emissions by more than half at 35 public buildings\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Work started at Bootle Leisure Centre, Bootle Library, Prescot Soccer Centre, Wirral Country Park and Landican Cemetery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Landmark waterfront buildings including Georges Dock Building and the Cunard to connect to Mersey Heat network<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public buildings generate 13% of total emissions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>City Region has 600 publicly owned buildings emitting 77,000 tonnes of CO?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Liverpool\u2019s world-famous waterfront is set to benefit from a \u00a340m investment to cut carbon emissions at 35 public buildings across the City Region. Work is starting on the major programme that will see heat decarbonisation and energy-saving measures introduced at many historic buildings, town halls, leisure centres and libraries \u2013 cutting emissions by more than half. The project will connect landmark sites on Liverpool\u2019s waterfront \u2013 including the Georges Dock and the Cunard buildings \u2013 to the Mersey Heat network, which is powered by water from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is the latest step in the Combined Authority\u2019s five-year carbon action plan, approved in 2023, aimed at making the City Region net zero by 2035 at the latest \u2013 at least a decade before national government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Work is already underway at Bootle Leisure Centre, Bootle Library, Wirral Country Park, Prescot Soccer Centre and Landican Cemetery to install low?carbon heating systems and complementary measures, such as insulation upgrades, solar PV, and modern building controls, with eight buildings expected to be completed by March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cllr Anthony Burns, Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Net Zero, said: \u2018Cutting carbon is one of the most important ways we can improve people\u2019s everyday lives, and this programme shows the scale of our ambition. By transforming our civic buildings, we\u2019re reducing emissions, lowering energy bills and future?proofing public services for decades to come. We know how big the task ahead is, but we also know the scale of the opportunity. With work already underway across the city region \u2013 from leisure centres and libraries to parks and historic landmarks \u2013 we\u2019re proving that our commitment to reach net zero by 2035 is real, practical and already delivering results. Public buildings account for a sizeable amount of the total emissions, so it is right that we lead by example.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buildings account for most carbon emissions, with public buildings responsible for 13% of the total. Together, the city region\u2019s six local authorities and the Combined Authority (CA) own more than 600 buildings that emit almost 77,000 tonnes of CO2.&nbsp; The CA has secured \u00a336m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). With additional funding from local authorities, a total of more than \u00a340m will go towards improving energy efficiency, cutting carbon emissions and accelerating the transition to low-carbon heat across the region.&nbsp; The programme, delivered by the Combined Authority Energy Team, unlocks the extension of the Mersey Heat network, which is already supplying the Liverpool Waters site, the Titanic Hotel and the Tobacco Warehouse apartments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The network is driven by the Mersey Heat Energy Centre, developed by The Peel Group and Ener-Vate, which uses one of the UK\u2019s largest water source heat pumps to extract energy from canal water. Connections are planned to the Cunard Building and George\u2019s Dock Building, with additional funding awarded to National Museums Liverpool to connect the Museum of Liverpool.&nbsp; The expanded network is projected to reduce emissions by around 4,000 tonnes of CO? per year.&nbsp; A range of measures to replace fossil?fuel heating in each building with low?carbon alternatives \u2013 such as heat pumps, solar thermal and district heating connection \u2013 will completely remove gas?fired heating. Combined with fabric and energy?efficiency upgrades, the programme is expected to halve energy demand and carbon emissions, saving around 21,500 MWh per year and cutting emissions by more than 50%.&nbsp;&nbsp; Alongside PSDS investment, the Combined Authority has also secured \u00a31.45m through the Mayoral Renewables Fund to deliver solar PV installations across 14 public buildings, providing a total of 1.2 MW of new renewable generation capacity across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A range of measures to replace fossil?fuel heating in each building with low?carbon alternatives \u2013 such as heat pumps, solar thermal and district heating connection \u2013 will completely remove gas?fired heating. Combined with fabric and energy?efficiency upgrades, the programme is expected to save around 21,500 kWh per year and cut carbon emissions by 44%.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside PSDS investment, the Combined Authority has also secured \u00a31.45m through the Mayoral Renewables Fund to deliver solar PV installations across 14 public buildings, providing a total of 1.2 MW of new renewable generation capacity across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James Johnson, Head of Regional Programme at the North West Net Zero Hub, said: \u2018Retrofitting these buildings is a significant step, not only due to the reduction in emissions, but also in terms of the efficiencies that this will bring to the public estate.\u00a0 Heat decarbonisation and energy-saving measures will help to reduce running costs and allow those savings to be focused back into communities. Lower energy bills mean more public money that can be spent on services.\u2019\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk\/news\/40m-programme-to-cut-carbon-emissions-at-35-public-buildings-across-liverpool-city-region\">Read more here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>image for illustration: George&#8217;s Dock building, Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Liverpool\u2019s world-famous waterfront is set to benefit from a \u00a340m investment to cut carbon emissions at 35 public buildings across the City reports Liverpool City Region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[614,750,18,117,30,749],"class_list":["post-45963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog","tag-carbon","tag-climage-change","tag-conservation","tag-energy","tag-environment","tag-liverpool"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45963"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45965,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963\/revisions\/45965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}