1. CASE STUDY:
EEF helps Bede’s School undertake large-scale
biomass heating project
Bede’s School, East Sussex
Located in East Sussex,
Bede’s is a co-educational
independent day and boarding
school offering preparatory
and senior school education to
more than 1,000 pupils.
Sustainability and environmental
preservation has always been a
top priority for the school and it has
already taken various energy efficiency
measures to reduce energy consumption
and improve its carbon footprint.
From the gradual upgrade to LED
lighting and the installation of lighting/
heating sensors, to the use of ground
source heat pumps and solar powered
water heating, the school has made
considerable efforts to contribute to a
greener environment and is committed
to being as environmentally-friendly as
possible.
So when the time came for the school to
replace its inefficient, ageing boilers for
its senior school and three older boarding
houses, it planned to overhaul its heating
infrastructure with the deployment of
wood pellet biomass heating systems
which would maximise its use of energy
whilst helping to cut energy bills. CPL
Renewables, the UK’s leading specialist
of renewable energy heating systems,
was mandated with the conversion
project. As a recognised supplier of
Energy Efficiency Made Easy
For more information, please visit
www.energyefficiencyfinancing.co.uk or call 01753 434 476
Energy saving
assessment by
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provided by
Mark Harper,
GENERAL MANAGER
CPL RENEWABLES

2. the Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF)
scheme, CPL Renewables recommended
Bede’s fund the project through this
innovative finance solution, on account of
its affordability and flexibility.
The EEF scheme, a joint initiative
between Siemens Financial Services
Limited (SFS) and the Carbon Trust, is
designed to provide finance for energy-
efficient equipment and renewable
technologies for businesses, where
the expected savings in energy costs
and/or income from energy generation
offset(s) the monthly equipment finance
costs, effectively making the investment
zero net cost or even cash positive.
Prior to finance being approved, the
Carbon Trust conducts an independent
energy savings assessment to verify that
the expected energy savings/income
generation will match or exceed the
equipment finance payments, giving
businesses the additional assurance that
the projected figures provided by their
suppliers are accurate.
The conversion project, one of the
largest of its kind in the UK, sought to
replace 23 of Bede’s existing liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) and oil boilers with
three wood pellet boilers. These biomass
heating systems would provide heating
and hot water for the senior school and
the three boarding properties. The £1.2
million financing arrangement, with a
payback period of ten years, not only
included the acquisition of the biomass
boilers and their installation, but also the
renovation of the subterranean electrical
infrastructure as well as the installation of
a Building Management System (BMS)
– a computerised control and monitoring
system to ensure that the boilers maintain
the desired temperature in buildings.
Fuelled by wood pellets sourced from
sustainable British woodlands, the
biomass boilers are predicted to achieve
energy savings of £70,000 per annum,
along with an annual reduction of carbon
emissions by over 580 tonnes. In addition
the school will be able to take advantage
of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
payments as part of the implementation.
The success of the renewable energy
project was underpinned by a bespoke
EEF funding package which took into
account the specific circumstances of
the school as well as the working capital
needs of its equipment supplier. The
flexible financing arrangements allowed
Bede’s to fund the VAT element of the
project which enhanced their cashflow.
While invoice for equipment suppliers will
normally only be paid by EEF after the
installation has been completed and is
in operation, in this case, the financing
arrangement allowed staged payments
to CPL Renewables within the six-month
implementation period, thus providing the
equipment supplier with ongoing liquidity
Energy saving
assessment by

3. for the running of the project. The tailor-
made financing package enabled by
the EEF scheme has been instrumental
in helping the school make its energy
efficiency endeavor in the most
financially efficient way as well as aiding
CPL Renewables in the timely delivery of
the project.
Dr Richard Maloney, Headmaster of
Bede’s senior school, commented,
“We believe schools have a crucial
role to play in helping create a low
carbon society as well as educating
their students on the importance of
preserving the environment. At Bede’s,
we pride ourselves on our proactive
pursuit of a green strategy and seize
every opportunity available to us to
optimise our energy consumption and
reduce our carbon footprint. As schools
are of central importance in every local
community, they can and should take
the lead in sustainability and set the best
possible example for their pupils, who
hopefully can learn to take sustainability
to heart from a young age onwards.”
Val Jacob-Lee, Director of Finance at
Bede’s, commented, “We are really
delighted with the installation of biomass
boilers and with the organisations who
were involved in helping us deliver
the project. The EEF funding process
was straightforward and the financing
specialists from SFS were there to guide
us through every stage of the process.
With the energy savings and the income
from the RHI scheme, we will be cash
positive from year one onwards. The
accessibility and affordability of the
EEF scheme has enabled us to finance
and prioritise green initiatives using
tailored financing designed to meet our
environmental goals.”
Mark Harper, General Manager at CPL
Renewables, commented, “SFS is
our first choice financier. They provide
Financial Services
provided by
“We believe schools
have a crucial role to
play in helping create
a low carbon society
as well as educating
their students on the
importance of preserving
the environment.”
Dr Richard Maloney,
HEADMASTER OF BEDE’SSENIOR SCHOOL

4. excellent services and support and most
importantly, the financing arrangements
are simple and flexible. Without financial
backing, it would be difficult for our
business to get the majority of biomass
projects off the ground, since the cost
of a typical biomass installation can be
6-10 times higher than that of a normal
fossil fuel solution. Most organisations
simply don’t have that amount of spare
capital and even if they do, they wouldn’t
want to tie up that magnitude of capital
which could be more efficiently deployed
in other areas. The provision of finance
through EEF allows customers to keep
their lines of credit intact with their
house banks. That is why the EEF
scheme is particularly important for
renewables suppliers like us since it’s not
only an investment-enabler for customers
but also an extremely helpful sales tool
for us.”
CPL Renewables and the
EEF scheme
As part of the CPL Industries Group (the
largest distributor and manufacturer of
solid fuels in the UK), CPL Renewables
is a specialist in wood pellet heating
solutions for commercial and public
sector organisations. Since becoming a
recognised supplier of the EEF scheme
in 2012, CPL Renewables has been
able to complement its service offerings
and expert industry knowledge with an
additional financing option. Owing to its
ability to provide an all-encompassing
solution incorporating financing and
technology, potential prospects can enjoy
a convenient, one-stop-shop experience
where the renewable energy specialist
can advise on the most suitable solutions
without concern about customers’ capital
budget restrictions.
Energy Efficiency Made Easy
For more information, please visit
www.energyefficiencyfinancing.co.uk or call 01753 434 476
Energy saving
assessment by
Financial Services
provided by
“SFS is our first choice
financier. They provide
excellent services
and support and most
importantly, the financing
arrangements are simple
and flexible. Without
financial backing, it
would be difficult for
our business to get the
majority of biomass
projects off the ground”