Question

A solar farm might be grabbing the headlines, but the Council has numerous other assets at its disposal to install energy generating measures on, car parks, schools, offices, social housing, leisure centres.  What has been done to utilise these assets in tackling climate change?

A solar farm might be grabbing the headlines, but the Council has numerous other assets at its disposal to install energy generating measures on, car parks, schools, offices, social housing, leisure centres.  What has been done to utilise these assets in tackling climate change?

Answer

The Climate Emergency is one of the biggest issues facing us globally and it’s important that we all do our bit.  As a Council, we want to take an active role in tackling our properties and carbon footprint.  That’s why we are continuing to look at ways to improve our own properties and make them more energy efficient.

Part of this work has included undertaking extensive energy performance assessments on all of the Council’s operational properties.  By understanding how individual buildings are performing we can target a range of improvements including low energy LED lighting and high levels of insulation.

The Council is working towards introducing more smaller sustainable energy schemes, such as installing solar panels on a range of its properties including schools, offices, and community sites to help generate sustainable renewable energy and renewables on our own sites. To date, the Council has installed solar arrays on multiple properties, including three quarters of all their schools and half of the corporate outreach buildings which include libraries, youth and community centres and offices.

Making new buildings as energy efficient as possible is also a priority. The new Dinton Pastures Activity Centre is the Council’s first net carbon zero building and joins a range of fantastic green initiatives across the Dinton site such as the solar powered water aerator in the fishing lake which was installed in 2019.

To obtain a greater impact on reducing carbon emissions, the Council is continually working to align and implement different initiatives such as introducing new EV charging points, supporting our green spaces, and engaging the community with this agenda. 

Nevertheless, we cannot hope to reach carbon neutral within ten years without implementing some significant actions. Our plan to build solar farms across the Borough will help us to generate more renewable energy while reducing carbon emissions in the Borough.

Supplementary Question

Everyone would agree that this is a major issue. If there are community buildings or assets in, say, my ward, Council-owned or not, what would be the best way to ensure that they are considered as part of these Climate retrofit plans?

Supplementary Answer

If it is a Council-owned asset, then an energy assessment should have already been done and there should be plans in place to make the energy efficiency upgrades that are possible at the site. If it is not a Council-owned asset then we can still conduct the energy efficiency surveys. If you can let me know the sites, I can try to make sure that they happen.

For community sites we have launched the Local Community Energy Fund. It hasn’t done its first fundraising yet. It is planned for later in the year. For community buildings that aren’t Council assets, that is a fantastic way to get things like solar initiatives or air source heat pumps and other environmental initiatives added to the building at next to no charge to the property owners or the organisation or clubs that are running it.