Agenda item

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 ofAcademies and Schools from the reporting requirements of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)from 2014/15, with Street Lighting coming in. This would impact on the level of CRC allowances.

Discussion took place on Carbon Offsetting work which the Council could and did do. These included:-

• Displacing energy from power stations.
• Would there be a scope for sharing the district’s heat and power i.e. with other public authorities?
• On-site and off-site generation – Looking at investing facilities elsewhere?
• The use of rural Hillingdon to offset carbon emissions? Increased planting of trees and anaerobic digestion as a renewable energy source.
• Receiving credits for fuel poverty initiatives – This could include the improvements which have (and would) be made to the Council’s housing stock.

The Energy Manager reported that work around offsets would have to be evaluated and this, together with looking at the means at which the Council could achieve further carbon saving, could be useful areas for the Committee to investigate as part of their review.

Discussion took place on the scope of the Committee’s review and it was agreed that the review should concentrate primarily on the Civic Centre and the Council’s corporate estate. However, to evaluate the possible carbon offset work, the Committee asked to hear from witnesses on Street Lighting and Open Spaces who could provide information on the positive work which was being carried out.

Members also referred to the important role which Procurement had in relation to procuring services which were energy and carbon efficient and more information was required on this.

Comparisons could also be made with other London Boroughs to look at the work they were carrying out in respect of carbon reduction.

Officers were asked to produce a scoping report for the next meeting of the Committee with the theme of how this Council could further reduce its Carbon Footprint. In addition witnesses be invited to help the Committee with its review.

RESOLVED –

1.      That the information provided as part of the presentation be noted and officers be asked to produce a scoping report and to invite appropriate witnesses for the next meeting of the Committee.