Cardiff Council has been awarded a prestigious honour for energy saving from the British Controls Industry Association (BCIA).
The UK national Energy Management Award recognises the authority’s outstanding achievements in reducing school energy bills.
Through the Council’s ongoing partnership with Carbon Trust Wales, the organisation is the first local authority in Wales to lead the way in setting an ambitious carbon reduction target of 60% by 2018. Last year it was estimated that almost £353,000 of energy costs were saved in 51 council buildings including schools.
The Council has been praised for its carbon reduction commitment. By working with its educational establishments it has ring fenced £1 million to ensure that its 132 schools are as energy efficient as possible, starting with a major project to centralise school heating controls for multiple sites.
As a result of the specialist advice received from Carbon Trust, the authority has already invested over £600,000 in carbon reduction measures in schools, including a heating controls project which has led to web enabled heating controls being installed in 70 of its 132 schools up to March 2011. These provide remote access and monitoring of energy use by the Council and schools themselves.
Marlborough Junior & Infants School in Penylan is an example of one of the schools to benefit from the improved heating controls which, in addition to loft insulation and double glazing, have actively reduced the annual gas bill by 36%, saving almost £3,000 in cost and 31 tonnes in carbon, an investment that will have paid for itself in just four years. The controls specification has now been adopted as standard by the Council’s design team and is included in any new-build or refurbishment projects.
Executive Member for Finance and Service Delivery, Cllr Mark Stephens, said: “I am delighted that the Council’s achievements in reducing carbon emissions have been recognised.
“For a number of years, Cardiff Council has been looking at ways to reduce carbon emissions in the city and, during a time when energy costs are soaring, how we can make significant efficiency savings as well.
“The Council has committed to achieving Carbon Lite city status for Cardiff and helping to create a greener capital by further reduction of energy use in existing and new buildings, increasing recycling and composting and increasing the use of sustainable modes of transport.”
For more information about the BCIA please visit http://www.bcia-awards.co.uk/winner/energy-management-award/.
