Why you might be out of scope
Independent or fee-paying school
PSDS is restricted to central government, the wider public sector, and educational institutions in the state-funded estate [DESNZ]. Permanent
Route: private capital, PPA for solar, ESCO-led EPC, commercial heat-pump finance, or charity decarbonisation grants where applicable.
PFI site without landlord consent
The PFI SPV holds building rights. Salix accepts PFI bids where the SPV consents in writing and the public-sector body is the named applicant [Salix]. Fixable
Leased estate
Leased sites need landlord consent and clear demarcation of works on the asset. Fixable
Above the £325/tCO2e ceiling
The scheme passes eligibility but fails value-for-money. Most common cause: heat pump on a leaky building without fabric works. Add fabric, shrink the heat demand, redo the GCC calc [Salix]. See the £325 ceiling explainer and fabric-first.
Electric-resistive heating
Switching from direct-electric to heat pumps reduces demand rather than displacing gas. Lifetime kgCO2e savings are smaller and the GCC ratio is harder to pass. Hard but possible
Routes for out-of-scope estates
- Private PPA for solar and increasingly heat-as-a-service.
- Re:Fit ESCO route with guaranteed-savings model.
- DfE R&R, CIF, GB Energy solar, Warm Homes for state-funded estates outside PSDS scope.