The Technology Strategy Board is to invest a total of £19.5 million in two programmes to boost energy savings in buildings and the uptake of low-carbon commercial vehicles.

In the first scheme, the Invest in Innovative Refurb programme, £10m will be awarded over three years in a funding competition managed by the TSB and the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Collaboration between building owners, tenants and innovative technology providers will be encouraged. The programme will seek a balance between smaller and larger companies and additional support may be provided to SMEs for product monitoring and accreditation.

The funding will be made available in two tranches. The first tranche of the competition opens on 30 April 2012 and applicants must register their interest by 6 June 2012. Applications must be submitted by 13 June 2012. The second tranche will open in mid October.

Further information about the competition is available at: Invest in Innovative Refurb comp

A total of £9.5m will be invested into the second scheme, a trial demonstration programme which aims to encourage road haulage operators in the UK to buy and use low carbon commercial vehicles.

The programme, a partnership with the Department for Transport, will help operators establish and run fleets of alternative & dual-fuel heavy-goods vehicles, and electric & hybrid commercial vehicles, by part-funding the difference in capital cost between the traditional vehicles and their low carbon equivalents.  The programme will also part-fund the refuelling/charging point for use by the trial fleet. The competition opens on 24 April 2012 and the deadline for registration is 13 June 2012.

Completed applications must then be submitted by 20 June 2012.  A briefing event will be held on 9 May 2012 to highlight the main features of the competition and explain the application process. Further information about the competition is available at: LCTDT competition