Leicester City Council - Energy Management
The City Council has always had a strong commitment to managing its use of energy resources, appointing its first full-time Energy Manager in the 1970s, in response to the global energy crisis arising in the Middle East. In the 1980s environmental concerns over global warming became widespread and the Council published its first Energy Policy, indicating its intention to reduce harmful atmospheric emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Since then, there have been a number of notable initiatives, particularly in 1990 when the Energy Action Plan signalled the Council's intention to reduce its own energy consumption by half by the year 2025.
In 1999 this ambitious goal was incorporated into the Council's overall EMAS targets, together with a commitment to provide 20% of all its energy requirements from renewable sources by the year 2020.
Responsibility for delivering these improvements is held by the Energy Management Section, which is based at the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre in Market Place South. The Centre also provides information and a range of energy efficient products to the general public, while the Energy Agency gives practical assistance to small businesses on energy related matters.
Since then, there have been a number of notable initiatives, particularly in 1990 when the Energy Action Plan signalled the Council's intention to reduce its own energy consumption by half by the year 2025.
In 1999 this ambitious goal was incorporated into the Council's overall EMAS targets, together with a commitment to provide 20% of all its energy requirements from renewable sources by the year 2020.
Responsibility for delivering these improvements is held by the Energy Management Section, which is based at the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre in Market Place South. The Centre also provides information and a range of energy efficient products to the general public, while the Energy Agency gives practical assistance to small businesses on energy related matters.
Leicester City Council spends over £5 million a year on energy and water requirements for its own premises, approximately the same amount as a small town of 8,500 houses.
Its building stock is extremely varied and includes swimming pools, schools, offices, libraries, museums and district heating for housing estates. The Energy Management Team administers more than 3,000 individual energy accounts. Close monitoring of these resources is absolutely essential if costs and consumption are to be controlled properly. Monitoring and target setting represents a very low cost method of saving energy and yields a very high rate of success.
The Team uses a STARK Energy Accounting System to help in this vital work. Essentially this is a large database for storing, processing and analysing all of the billing information.
From this it is possible to identify very quickly an exception in cost or consumption at any building, and take corrective action before it becomes too expensive. The use of energy is also normalised for variations in weather and floor areas from year to year.
The system enables targets to be set very accurately, which helps in planning budgets and forecasting expenditure. It is also very helpful in evaluating the savings from investment projects. The Team obtains capital funding and manages a wide variety of energy reduction projects including control systems, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and renewable energy.
Computerised Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) provide sophisticated on-line monitoring of selected remote sites to provide up-to the-minute reports of consumption and operating status.
Besides monitoring the use of energy and introducing energy saving projects the Team also designs and presents its own training programmes to raise energy awareness for staff and the general public.
Highly trained and qualified staff also visit buildings regularly to perform surveys and prepare energy audits. The reports can be used as the basis for an Action Plan for helping to improve a building's overall energy and environmental performance.
The Team is responsible for ensuring that the Council obtains all of its fuel supplies in the privatised energy market at the most competitive price and under the best possible conditions.
Another essential part of the service offered is advice and information not just to Council clients but also to domestic users and small businesses, as part of the wider role of the Energy Efficiency Centre in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust.
Its building stock is extremely varied and includes swimming pools, schools, offices, libraries, museums and district heating for housing estates. The Energy Management Team administers more than 3,000 individual energy accounts. Close monitoring of these resources is absolutely essential if costs and consumption are to be controlled properly. Monitoring and target setting represents a very low cost method of saving energy and yields a very high rate of success.
The Team uses a STARK Energy Accounting System to help in this vital work. Essentially this is a large database for storing, processing and analysing all of the billing information.
From this it is possible to identify very quickly an exception in cost or consumption at any building, and take corrective action before it becomes too expensive. The use of energy is also normalised for variations in weather and floor areas from year to year.
The system enables targets to be set very accurately, which helps in planning budgets and forecasting expenditure. It is also very helpful in evaluating the savings from investment projects. The Team obtains capital funding and manages a wide variety of energy reduction projects including control systems, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and renewable energy.
Computerised Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) provide sophisticated on-line monitoring of selected remote sites to provide up-to the-minute reports of consumption and operating status.
Besides monitoring the use of energy and introducing energy saving projects the Team also designs and presents its own training programmes to raise energy awareness for staff and the general public.
Highly trained and qualified staff also visit buildings regularly to perform surveys and prepare energy audits. The reports can be used as the basis for an Action Plan for helping to improve a building's overall energy and environmental performance.
The Team is responsible for ensuring that the Council obtains all of its fuel supplies in the privatised energy market at the most competitive price and under the best possible conditions.
Another essential part of the service offered is advice and information not just to Council clients but also to domestic users and small businesses, as part of the wider role of the Energy Efficiency Centre in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust.
Current Case Studies of Energy Management in the Council
Ashton Green forms a major extension to the north west of the City. It comprises 230 hectares and the target number of dwellings is 3,500. It is intended that the development be phased over 15 to 20 years. The aim is "to create as new settlement which is sustainable."
Councils for Climate Protection Greenhouse Gas Emissions Software. Leicester City Council is one of 24 local authorities participating in this project.
The Climate Change Strategy builds on the original 1994 Leicester Energy Strategy and discusses progress over the last 10 years in reducing CO2 emissions in the city and takes forward the Government’s aspiration for increased public debate about energy and climate change.
Combined Heat And Power is a very efficient method for producing electricity and heat together from a single source.
Leicester's Energy Education Project aims to support schools involved in energy education. It provides an introduction to some of the key issues in energy and aims to raise awareness of these issues as well as developing attitudes and value for sustainable lifestyles.
An intelligent metering system which captures data on energy consumption in real time, rather than waiting for billing from utility companies.
Close monitoring of energy use is absolutely essential if costs and consumption are to be controlled.
Leicester City Council is supplied with "green electricity", which has contributed to the promotion of renewable energy production locally.
Leicester City Council’s Energy Group sits on the Leicester Environment Partnership, which brings together community and business representatives and people from organisations such as the City Council, Health and Police.
Leicester City Council’s Energy Group is helping the Leicester Regeneration Company incorporate sustainable energy principles into its developments.
Leicester City Council has introduced an innovative scheme to encourage householders of any tenure to install solar water heating systems.