Agenda and minutes

Agreed as an accurate record.

To confirm the items of business marked Part I will be considered in public and that the items marked Part II will be considered in private.

It was agreed that all items of business would be considered in public.

The Council’s Energy Manager attended the meeting and provided Members with a presentation on the background to the work which had been carried out by this Council in relation to reducing its Carbon Footprint.

The Committee was provided with details of the tonnes of carbon (gas and electric) emitted from Council buildings and street lighting for 2013/13:-

• Academies – 10,941
• General Fund  – 9,023 (Civic Centre accounts for 50% of General Fund emissions)
• Housing Revenue Account – 237
• Street Lighting – 5,387
• LA Schools – 8,949

The total from the above came to 34,536 tonnes of carbon.

Reference was made to the levels of energy costs for this Council. The Committee was informed that energy contracts were approximately £21m over 4 years with the Council’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) allowances cost being £357,000 per annum.

The Council’s Climate Change Levy was established at £280,000 per annum. The Levy was an environmental tax on energy supplies and was levied to encourage greater energy efficiency and lower energy use.

Reference was made to the total annual budget resource for the Council which was £2,047,324 for gas, £3,218,196 for electricity (total £5,265,520).

Members were informed of the legal, policy and economic factors around carbon footprints and the Energy Hierarchy which was used to reduce carbon.

Reference was made to comparisons of March 2008 and March 2013 when the average energy costs for the Civic Centre had fallen from £2,546 per day to £1,819. This had resulted in a daily reduction in carbon usage from 14.34 tonnes to 10.43 tonnes. This had been due to an improved environmental performance which ultimately was saving the authority money.

Energy efficiency measures which were being taken involved improving the building fabric and insulation, an extensive lighting programme which included the installation of LED tubes. Reference was made to the Chiller replacement which had taken place with the air conditioning system in the Civic Centre. A water chiller was a device used to exchange heat from water in a closed loop system to refrigerate.  Heat was then filtered outside and chilled water was sent to its location. This was a very cost effective and energy efficient improvement.

Direct Hot Water Services had been introduced into the Civic Centre which was a well established means of operating efficient hot water systems.

ICT upgrades had taken place which reduced energy costs and usage. PCs in the Civic Centre automatically shut down in the evenings

Reference was made to the greener approach which the Council had taken to energy in the form of renewable power. These included:-

·        Solar Photovoltaic which had been installed at Sibley Court and the Civic Centre.

·        Solar Thermal power which had been installed at Botwell Leisure Centre.

·        Combined Heat and Power systems which had been installed at Hillingdon Sports Centre and Triscott House and which had been considered for the Civic Centre.

·        Anaerobic digestion which could be considered as an energy source at New Years Green Lane.

The Committee was informed that future developments involved the removal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Noted.The Committee asked that an update be provided on the implementation of recommendations of past reviews undertaken by this Committee. This would be provided at a meeting to be agreed at a later date.

Noted.