The funding will allow Glasgow Women's Library to insulate its home in one of the city's renowned Carnegie libraries, using a fabric first approach to reduce gas consumption by 30% and lower running costs.
Glasgow Women's Library tells the stories of women's lives, histories and achievements through its extensive archive collection and lending library, while its vibrant events programme engage wide and diverse communities.
From a medal awarded in 1909 to one of the first suffragettes to go on hunger strike, to documentation chronicling the formation of Scottish Women's Aid throughout the 1970s, the library's museum archives are regarded as some of the most impressive in the UK and attract visitors from around the world.
Built in 1906, the Bridgeton site also offers meeting spaces groups such as the Scottish Women's Autism Network and Black and Minority Ethnic Women's Projects within its community hub.
Glasgow Women's Library is one of the recipients of SP Energy Networks' Transmission Net Zero Fund – a £5 million funding pot designed to support vulnerable communities and ensure no one is left behind on the country's journey to net zero emissions.
Nicola Connelly, CEO at SP Energy Networks, said: "Our Net Zero Fund supports community groups and charities driving positive social and environmental change within the local areas we serve across Central and Southern Scotland.
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"Glasgow Women's Library is an invaluable institution committed to promoting and preserving women's history and culture, and we're proud to support them in this exciting new chapter. This funding will enable crucial sustainable upgrades to its listed building, significantly reducing emissions and operational costs.
"By working together, we are not only honouring the past but also forging a more sustainable future for an iconic Glasgow landmark."
Savings made from the project will be redirected into the running of the library's services that support thousands of women from different backgrounds each year, including the provision of adult education and digital literacy classes.
Speaking on the support, Sue John, Co-Director at Glasgow Women's Library, said: "We're incredibly proud of the global reputation that Glasgow Women's Library has built since it was first launched in 1991. While we focus on preserving the history of the incredible women who have come before us, it's incredibly important that we look to the future when it comes to our sustainability and net zero goals.
"We've made our home in one of the city's most impressive listed buildings and we have a responsibility to maintain its legacy while making necessary adaptations to reduce our environmental impact, however our journey to net zero has been challenging up until now. Despite our commitment to working towards reaching operational net zero, it took nearly five years to fundraise for the first phase of our plans – which included secondary glazing, LED lighting and a new boiler.
"The support of SP Energy Networks enables us to move immediately into the next phase of our plans where we'll sensitively insulate the building and eventually upgrade our current heating systems– resulting in lower emissions and more affordable running costs. We're very thankful to the team for helping us make our net zero ambitions a reality."
A host of charities and organisations supporting communities across Scotland have been awarded funding from SP Energy Networks' Transmission Net Zero Fund to introduce innovative net zero technology. The initiative also provided tailored community workshops and project planning in its early stages to help groups turn their net zero ideas into actionable plans.
The successful groups will receive grants to help them decarbonise and reach their net zero targets sooner, with projects ranging from installation of solar panels and heat pumps to the purchase of electric vehicles and retrofitting listed buildings to increase energy efficiency.
SP Energy Networks owns and operates the electricity transmission and distribution network in Central and Southern Scotland, delivering power to more than two million homes and businesses. The Net Zero Fund has been established through SP Transmission, a subsidiary of SP Energy Networks, responsible for transmitting high-voltage electricity from power stations and windfarms to the low-voltage network across Central and Southern Scotland.
