Warwickshire News Mine

A huge effort is getting underway to get all of the council’s many buildings and schools to think green to both reduce their energy bills and their impact on the environment.

To try and help this become a reality a loan scheme to encourage investment in energy saving schemes has been set up with money from the county council and the Carbon Trust.

Already almost £650,000 of schemes have been identified, that could save over £200,000 each year and more than 1,000 tonnes of CO2. Of the schemes identified, almost £300,000 has already been approved and is proceeding to installation.

A software system is being installed to monitor fuel and water use, which will enable web-based feedback on energy performance to be provided to the council’s building users and building managers. This will form the backbone of a motivation campaign to encourage reduction of energy and water waste.

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Resources, said: “Our total electricity, fuel and water bill is almost £7.5m (excluding street lighting which is another £1m) and many organisations both public and private have shown that a successful motivation campaign can knock up to ten per cent off the bill.

“Many of our county staff are already being careful in their use of resources, and we hope that an effective campaign with training and timely feedback on results could bring savings of up to £300,000.”

The county council’s main electricity and gas supply contracts are negotiated through a local government purchasing consortium (ESPO) in order to ensure good value. The tariff arrangement within the contracts are being further evaluated and to date, £22,000 a year of electricity tariff savings have been implemented and a further £50,000 a year of water savings have been identified.

Cllr Cockburn added: “A focus on energy saving and energy conservation is important to the county council and is reflected in one of the key county council priorities ‘pursuing a sustainable environment’.”

Cllr Gordon Collett, the county council’s Climate Change Champion, said: “After almost three decades of the North Sea oil bonanza, the UK is now a net importer of energy. Prices have risen significantly alongside concerns about the security of the country’s fuel supplies. It is very important therefore that all organisations consider their energy usage and implement energy savings. Warwickshire County Council is keen to be a ‘standard bearer’ in the area of energy conservation.”

Link to WCC