Warwickshire reduces carbon emissions
Warwickshire County Council is celebrating after becoming one of the first local authorities to be awarded the Energy Reduction Verification (ERV) Kitemark by The British Standards Institution (BSI).
The ERV Kitemark is granted to organisations who have reduced their carbon emissions by at least 5.2 per cent.
Warwickshire County Council’s emissions for its buildings and street lighting were measured during 2010 and were found to have been reduced by 6 per cent when compared with emissions from the three previous years.
As part of the ERV process, BSI completed site visits to some 16 locations around the county. The visits, which were carried out over a three week period in March, included assessments at Warwick’s Montague Road, Budbrooke Depot and Shire Hall, Bedworth’s Kings House and Nuneaton’s Caldwell Grange Home for the Elderly. It looked at energy reduction measures such as LED lighting, pipework insulation and eco coolers and BSi staff also checked reported meter readings and spoke to staff on site about their understanding of carbon reduction activities.
Cllr Alan Farnell, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, commented on the importance of the ERV Kitemark: "There is clear evidence that energy prices and carbon taxes are going to rise substantially over the next five to ten years and if we do not act to reduce costs now we will be losing more and more money from front line services. Implementation of our ongoing Energy and Environmental Management Policies provides Warwickshire County Council with a framework for continual improvement and helps us to identify energy reduction opportunities. The ERV Kitemark provides external verification that our data collection activities and Carbon Management Action Plan, (which was developed with the Carbon Trust), are effective and demonstrates the county council’s commitment to continued environmental improvements."
Elaine Munro, Marketing Director Testing Services at BSI, said: “For Councils, implementing and managing their energy use is no longer enough, proving these savings is key, not only from a legislative viewpoint, but also in terms of protecting their reputation and maintaining services. The ERV Kitemark independently verifies Warwickshire County Council’s on-going commitment to improving its efforts to manage and reduce their carbon emissions. I am delighted Warwickshire County Council has obtained this award and would like to congratulate the team on this major achievement.”