Sharing the Green Agenda

The Council has embarked on an ambitious “greening” action programme to combat climate change and deliver significant financial savings through more efficient use of energy and fuel.

This plan of action reflects the priority given by the public to this important issue and we appreciate your ongoing support for cutting out wasteful use of energy. We have set challenging targets for all users of Council buildings, beginning with our top 100 energy-consuming properties. Many of these are schools, where staff and pupils have begun to work together to conserve energy and CO2 emissions, and reduce bills.
Before 2010, we aim to:

• Reduce energy use in buildings by 15%;
• Avoid £3.8 million in related energy costs; 
• Reduce carbon emissions from buildings by a minimum of 15%; and
• Increase the installed capacity of renewable energy equipment by a minimum of 4,000 kilowatts. 

To achieve this we will:

• Spend £5.84 million on a range of energy saving improvements in our least energy efficient properties, which will reap benefits for many years to come;
• Make use of an innovation fund to deliver quick wins that can be identified by staff;
• Encourage staff and building users to take responsibility for saving energy through training, incentives and publicity.

We are also seeking to increase the Council’s use of renewable energy in the design of new buildings and in replacing existing energy systems where appropriate.

In devising this action plan, we recognise the urgent need to limit pressure on our budgets from the ongoing escalation in energy costs together with the need to mitigate climate change, reduce dependency on imported electricity and fuel and support the development of the Highlands’ renewable energy supply chains.

Between 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, the Council’s energy bill rose by 20% to £5.2 million. The ongoing escalation in energy prices means that the Council could be facing an annual energy bill of over £6.5 million by 2007 if measures to save energy are not acted upon.

We are one of four Scottish Councils to complete the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme.   With help from the Energy Savings Trust, we will identify ways of reducing CO2 emissions in the Council’s transport fleet. We are also pursuing options for using a 5% biodiesel blend in fleet vehicles and plant, and ways of improving the energy efficiency of street lighting.

Next year, we will focus on mimising waste in Council buildings, taking steps to conserve water and other natural resources including biodiversity, and taking account of the environmental and social impact of the goods and services we purchase.

Our first wood fuel heating system will shortly be installed at Dingwall Primary School, where the existing oil central heating boiler is being replaced with a dual-fuel system, expected to cut running costs by over £6,000 and save over 93 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Woodfuel is a renewable energy technology already widely used elsewhere in Europe, particularly Austria and Scandinavia.  A number of schools will be making use of ground source heat pumps to generate renewable heat, beginning with the new communithy complex at Grantown.

 Dornoch Academy has launched a major campaign to drive down energy use at the school. Pupils and staff are working together to develop an Energy Saving Action Plan that has resulted in a saving of energy used between April and June of this year. The school janitor is working with the Young Engineer’s Club to keep records of electricity consumption. Pupils are also keeping track of the potential to use wind energy to generate electricity at the site. A device for measuring the speed and frequency of the wind, known as an anemometer, was recently installed in the school grounds, enabling pupils to monitor the wind profile of the site over twelve months.

HIGHLAND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ADVICE CENTRE

Telephone: 0800 512012