(2) what steps he is taking to make his Department’s agencies carbon-neutral; what his latest estimate is of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from those agencies; and what steps he plans to take to reduce them;
(3) what his latest estimate is of the level of greenhouse gas emissions from (a) his Department and (b) other Government departments; and what steps he is taking to seek to achieve reductions in emissions in each case.
DEFRA and its Executive agencies are committed to reducing their carbon emissions.
Various energy efficiency projects have already been implemented across both the DEFRA and Executive Agency Estate including:
Installation of voltage regulation units. This technology significantly reduces energy consumption of a whole building by regulating the voltage level entering the building. Average electricity consumption has reduced by 11 per cent. as a result of installing this technology.
Other energy efficiency projects which have been implemented include upgrades to more efficient lighting, improvements to motor energy controls and gas boiler sequencing controls, all of which have delivered significant savings.
Thermal imaging surveys have been undertaken at a number of DEFRA laboratory sites. The results of the surveys will inform a programme of works to improve the thermal efficiency of buildings.
DEFRA is currently upgrading its electricity, gas and water meters to ‘Smart meters’ which will provide accurate and up to the minute consumption data. This data will be used to monitor and identify excessive consumption, providing a focus for strategic consumption reduction. The carbon Trust estimate that savings of between 5-10 per cent. can be achieved through the identification of waste through Smart metering.
These measures have resulted in the DEFRA and Executive Agency Estate achieving accreditation under the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS) in 2007. DEFRA also achieved the Carbon Trust Standard in 2008 for its office estate. Both these awards were independently assessed and confirm that the Department is improving its energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
DEFRA is already exceeding the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) target for reducing carbon emissions from offices. Its ongoing programme of investment on efficiency measures will ensure that the Department is in the best possible position when Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) begins in 2012. In addition, a 15 year Sustainable Built Environment Workplace Support (SBEWS) delivery partnership with Interserve plc, will deliver significant efficiency improvements, not just in energy but across the entire range of SOGE targets.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently leading work to define what is meant by carbon neutrality for Government and the private sector. Once this work is complete, Government will review the target for the central Government office estate to be carbon neutral by 2012 and the implications for departmental delivery.
The table represents the carbon emissions from DEFRA and its Executive agencies in 2007-08.
Organisation Kg carbon (kgC) DEFRA 2,211,042 Animal Health 477,217 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 1,025,533 Food and Environment Research Agency (formerly Central Science Laboratory) 4,112,740 Marine and Fisheries Agency 35,085 Rural Payments Agency 1,461,561 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 4,048,234 Total 13,371,413 Note: The figures are not weather corrected.