01.06.16
Energy lessons from the top of the index
Source: PSE Jun/Jul 16
Michael Checkley, sustainability and low carbon manager at Coventry City Council, and Cllr Jim O’Boyle run through the energy-efficient measures that helped set Coventry ahead of all other councils.
Coventry City Council has recently been placed top of a national Local Authority Energy Index (LAEI) as a result of its work in tackling energy use both within its own estate and across the city.
The aim of the LAEI, sponsored by Knauf Insulation, is to showcase the best energy work that is taking place around the UK, and to raise awareness of the areas that local authorities can improve upon.
This report, researched in 2015 and published in November, scored 103 local authorities on energy efficiency in a number of areas, including energy management of their own buildings, improving energy efficiency in the community and in housing, and energy infrastructure.
Coventry scored highly in each of the areas, which recognised the work the council has been doing around energy efficiency, in particular:
- Low carbon heating of key public buildings through the Heatline district energy network
- The roll-out of energy-efficient street lighting across the city
- Community energy efficiency initiatives and insulation projects
- A published and formally adopted energy use reduction target
- A programme encouraging other building users to improve their energy efficiency
It’s great that the council’s hard work around energy efficiency is being recognised. It’s increasingly being acknowledged that Coventry is at the forefront of green practice. A lot has been done inside and outside the council, which has saved energy and reduced carbon emissions, and it’s important that this is built on so that businesses know Coventry is the place to come to if they aspire to be clean and green.
Community work and public buildings
Coventry City Council scored most highly in managing energy in its own buildings and for its work with energy in the community. Some actions are larger and longer term but some are low-cost and can be put in place fairly quickly.
For example, Coventry is open about the amount of energy the council uses each year and makes it publicly available so that people can check progress is being made against published energy and carbon reduction targets. In addition, a network of enthusiastic ‘Green Champions’ embedded within teams provide local encouragement and nudges to save energy and identify further energy saving opportunities.
Recently, Coventry City Council was awarded a Green Apple gold award for Environmental Best Practice for encouraging sustainable behaviours through both its Green Champions programme and Think Low Carbon campaigns.
Coventry has also been able to improve the energy efficiency of its main service centres through a combination of lighting and insulation improvements, as well as connecting them to a new district energy network, which uses waste heat from the local refuse incinerator.
This low carbon source of heat saves over 1,300 tonnes of carbon each year, and has meant the Display Energy Certificate ratings of the main civic buildings have improved two categories with many now rated as B, where they were previously D.
Since 2010, almost 36,000 street lighting units have been replaced with the latest in energy-efficient units, reducing energy use by 44% and cutting carbon emissions by over 4,300 tonnes each year.
Inspiring other organisations
Coventry is keen to encourage other organisations to reduce energy by promoting Energy Performance Contracts as a way to install energy reduction measures, and by commissioning district energy infrastructure to make it easy for new and refurbished developments to access low carbon heat.
The city council is serious about growing its economy for the benefit of local people and is guiding it through a period of unparalleled expansion with a new business district at Friargate and new leisure facilities – at the same time as Jaguar Land Rover plans to hugely expand its presence in the city.
Councils across the country continue to experience funding pressures requiring them to do more with less resource whilst protecting core services. At the same time, there is a very strong drive to attract new businesses, jobs and growth to their boroughs. For these reasons, it’s more important than ever that local authorities tackle their own energy use and help other organisations and businesses do the same.
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