asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Statement by Lord Truscott on 23 May on the energy White Paper, whether they will introduce measures to restrict the times when office building and street lighting may be switched on in order to reduce energy consumption. [HL4006]

The Government have no plans to restrict the amount of energy consumed, but announced in the energy White Paper that they would work with a range of interested parties to consider how they can improve the wider sustainability of our existing building stock. The Government are also working to identify other measures that will reduce the carbon emissions of existing non-domestic buildings by raising awareness of the ways to improve energy efficiency and by encouraging the take-up of energy efficiency measures in workplaces.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Statement by Lord Truscott on 23 May on the Energy White Paper, whether they will introduce measures to require unnecessary office building and street lighting to be turned off in order to reduce energy consumption. [HL4007]

The Government have no plans at present to introduce specific measures on office lighting or street lighting. The Government also announced in the energy White Paper that in respect of business premises in England and Wales, they will consult on the requirement to display energy performance certificates alongside other means of encouraging energy efficiency.

Provision of street lighting on local roads in England is a matter for individual local highway authorities. Street lights already use energy-efficient lighting. Most is provided by gas discharge light sources. These produce higher light intensities than domestic light sources and are also more efficient in terms of their light output for electrical power consumed.

On the government estate, each department has agreed to meet sustainable operation targets in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions. Departments are responsible for determining how they can best be achieved within their offices. Departments are required to work with the Carbon Trust to identify energy savings and to purchase electrical equipment which includes requirements on power consumption in sleep-mode and energy efficient light bulbs.