Case Studies

01

02

SFT Delivers

Positive impact from delivering district heating programme

The delivery and use of energy and heat is an area of rapid change that can bring economic growth and improved environmental performance to the whole of Scotland.

SFT is at the heart of that work and our focus is on supporting Scotland move to a low carbon economy and reach its climate change targets. Not only does our work generate cost and carbon savings, but it supports local economic development and improves the quality of public buildings.

One area that we are heavily involved is district heating. District heating is like a central heating system in your home, but on a much larger scale.

It is a way of delivering heat and hot water to many buildings at the same time. Heat is generated at a central energy centre, distributed through a network of highly insulated underground pipes and supplied to homes, businesses and public buildings.

Heating buildings in this way provides a range of benefits, including the ability to use large-scale renewable or low carbon heat sources, for example capturing waste heat from power generation or industrial processes. This improves energy efficiency, reduces our reliance on fossil fuels (such as natural gas) for heating, and reduces carbon emissions. District heating can also cut heating bills, which helps alleviate fuel poverty.

As district heating is still a relatively undeveloped sector compared with gas and electricity markets, we are working with local authorities to help them identify and manage potential risks and advise on the best business model and procurement route for each project.

We have been working with Fife Council and its project partner RWE to develop the Glenrothes Energy Network. This is one of a number of district heating projects supported by Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP), of which SFT is a delivery partner.

When operational next year, surplus heat from RWE’s biomass combined heat and power plant in Markinch will flow through the network and supply low carbon heat to council buildings, businesses and homes across Glenrothes. Importantly, it will also contribute to climate change targets, including Fife Council’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by over 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Construction is well underway, with many people working and living in Glenrothes set to benefit from the positive outcomes the district heating scheme will deliver. 

SFT Delivers

Positive impact of delivering hub programme

Well-designed buildings, built for community use, have the power to transform lives. Through the SFT-managed hub programme, new schools, health centres and other community buildings are doing just that – creating employment, helping the environment and providing communities with much-improved places for them to learn, visit or work.

We have been successfully delivering the Scotland-wide hub programme since the first hub company started operating in 2010, that is based on a partnership between the public and private sectors to deliver new community facilities. 

Today, the five hub companies are providing the public sector with an efficient approach to deliver and manage buildings more effectively, with continuous improvement leading to better value.

Collectively, the hub companies have been developing and delivering a near £3bn pipeline of award-winning community infrastructure, with the construction of the projects supporting many thousands of jobs as well as creating many graduate and apprenticeship appointments.

CMS Window Systems based in Cumbernauld is one of the many hundreds of small to medium sized businesses appointed onto the hub supply chain. It operates within the very heart of its local community and over the years has employed well over 100 apprentices, many of whom have gone on to receive formal qualifications and become full time members of staff. And this year the firm has taken on ten more.

David Ritchie, the company’s chief executive said: “Being on the hub supply chain provides us with a greater insight to potential future work. This then allows us to plan our resources accordingly, so we can recruit more local people.

“Such has been our success, that we have recently opened up a brand-new production factory in Fife that is allowing us to expand our product range and employ many more local people and apprentices.

“We are renowned across the UK for our track record in providing employment opportunities for young people, and for being one of the first businesses in the window and door industry to become a Scottish Living Wage Employer.”

David MacDonald, SFT’s national hub programme director said. “The example of CMS Window Systems is one of many success stories created via the hub programme. With almost 80% of the work in hub being undertaken by Scottish SMEs, this demonstrates that the programme is making a significant contribution to sustainable economic development across Scotland.”

 

 

To find out more about the positive impacts our work is having click on any of the icons below:

Find out more