Energy Efficiency

UK Green Investment Bank announces funding for small scale biomass boilers

Announcements prior to September 2017, including this announcement, occurred under previous ownership.

17 May 2013

The Equitix managed fund, Energy Saving Investments (ESI), in which the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) is a cornerstone investor, has today announced an investment of £4.9 million into its first energy efficiency project. This investment mobilises a further £5.1 million of investment from the Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). The project will see inefficient heating systems, in both public and private community facilities, replaced with biomass boilers.

The £10 million investment is being made through Roundwood Energy Limited (Roundwood), an energy services company responsible for financing, installing, maintaining and fuelling the new renewable heating systems for up to 20 years. Roundwood is supported by its technology partner, Woodpecker Energy Limited, a well-established UK based manufacturer of wood pellet and wood chip biomass boilers.

The ESI fund forms part of GIB's allocation of investment into one of its priority sectors, non-domestic energy efficiency (NDEE).  GIB awarded the competitive fund mandate to Equitix to invest £50 million, matched by private investors, to drive investment in small-scale low carbon infrastructure requiring less than £30 million of financing. Equitix has also established EEEF to make investments into the energy efficiency sector, including as co-investors alongside ESI.

The investment announced today could fund over 60 projects, benefitting a varied mix of public and private sector organisations. In addition to supporting the green economy and significantly reducing carbon emissions, switching to biomass boilers could save customers up to 30% on their energy bills. Applications are now open and customers will not need an upfront capital investment to make the switch.

The boilers will be fuelled by sustainably sourced wood pellets and as a result CO2 emissions are expected to be cut by around 150,000 tonnes CO2 over the 20 year life of the investment. They will use sustainable ENplus A1 standard pellets, manufactured in the UK. These pellets produce the least amount of ash and fulfill the highest European requirements. Woodpecker is based in Yeovil, Somerset and it manufactures its core range of pellet boilers in Northern Ireland.

"The Green Investment Bank is helping to fund energy efficiency measures for everyone from our largest companies, to individual households through the Green Deal. Today's announcement will provide a low-cost and straightforward way for a range of organisations like schools, leisure centres and local businesses to switch their old, inefficient and high emission boilers for new energy efficient biomass ones; saving energy, cutting emissions and saving them money."

Shaun Kingsbury
Chief Executive, UK Green Investment Bank

"Starting this programme demonstrates the viability of these projects to commercial customers who wish to achieve energy savings and a reduction in carbon emissions.  The growing pipeline of similar future projects makes this an attractive sector for our investors."

Geoff Jackson
Chief Executive, Equitix

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    Notes to Editor

    Organisations across the UK who wish to benefit from switching to biomass boilers, should contact Paul Hughes at Roundwood Energy on 01935 382351.

    Equitix is a company established to deliver and manage infrastructure projects from bidding and closing through to construction and service provision. Its reputation is built upon strong relationships with its clients and partners, as well as a committed approach to every project in which they are involved and investment they make.

    Woodpecker Energy is a well-established UK manufacturer of wood pellet biomass boilers.  Woodpecker have in excess of 2500 installed boilers in the UK and exports to the USA and Canada.

    The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has committed £4.9 million to an Equitix managed fund, Energy Saving Investments (ESI) set up to manage small-scale Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE) projects, mobilising a further £5.1 million of investment from the Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). This investment is being managed by Roundwood Energy, who is administering the project.

    The ESI fund forms part of GIB's allocation of investment into Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE), one of its priority sectors. GIB awarded the competitive mandate to Equitix to invest £50 million, matched by private investors, to drive investment in small-scale low carbon infrastructure requiring less than £30 million of financing per project.