South Lanarkshire Council building emissions more than halved over 20 years
Overall emissions from the South Lanarkshire Council buildings estate have more than halved in the past 20 years. They have been reduced by 51.7 per cent since 2005. This has been due to implementation of energy-efficiency measures, the use of renewable technology such as solar PVs and boiler upgrades, as well as the national emission factors for grid electricity decreasing by around 60 per cent. Many carbon reduction projects have contributed to the emissions reductions from the council's estate. Energy savings and carbon reductions have been delivered through the installation of various technologies within council properties including voltage optimisers, insulation and draught proofing, secondary glazing, photovoltaic (PV) panels, Combined Heating and Power (CHP) boilers, LED lighting, BEMS controls and heat recovery systems since the start of the Central Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) Programme in 2005/06. This revolving fund has been responsible for a total of £6.377 million of investment, up to and including 2023-24, delivering a total of 395 energy-efficiency projects. Solar photovoltaics (PV) panels are installed in 55 of the council's 128 primary schools with a peak capacity installed of 1735kW, producing over 1.2m units of electricity per year. A PV feasibility study for the entire primary school estate has been funded from the Climate Emergency Fund. The findings from this study will inform current and future CEEF investment. Further funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund facilitated 14 structural roof reports and engagement with Scottish Power Energy Networks, ensuring a pipeline of projects are shovel ready when funding becomes available. Our Lady of Lourdes Primary is the first property that transitioned from gas to fully electrified heat. The refurbishment work included replacing gas boilers with a new air source heat pump heating system, replacement roofing including insulation, over cladding including insulation, new electrical light fittings, a rewire and mechanical ventilation. This project will be used as a net zero school demonstrator project. The council's first Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) sets out a long-term plan for decarbonising heat in buildings and improving energy efficiency across the entire local authority area. A Property and Estates Review is underway which aims to deliver a strategic approach to optimisation of the council's estate. The review will aim to direct investment into a reduced, energy efficient core estate and facilitate the transition to net zero. Phase one of the study will baseline the council estate and provide a comprehensive assessment of the current property portfolio. An initial report on the work undertaken in phase one was presented to the Executive Committee in March. Phases two and three will include the development of an estate strategy and 10-year delivery plan and explore and identify potential funding sources for these. Together, phases one to three will help identify the core estate for future years and detail the priority assets for investment in decarbonisation. The results will inform the development of the proposed net zero route map for the council's estate emissions. The council have around 300 buildings with fossil fuel heating systems which will be difficult to de-carbonise due to several challenges. Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland. For South Lanarkshire Council, the fleet vehicles required to deliver the entire range of council services accounted for 6967 tonnes of carbon in 2023-24 - 14.4 per cent of the council's carbon footprint. The emissions from the fleet have reduced by 33.1 per cent since 2005. South Lanarkshire Council have used the Scottish Government's Switched On Fleets funding for several years to lease small electric cars and vans within the council's fleet. As of May 2024, the small vehicle fleet consists of 639 vehicles of which 439 are diesel and 200 (30 per cent) are electric. To date, 19 charging sites have been commissioned for fleet vehicles. Each site supports a range of vehicles and so far, a ratio of five vehicles to one charging cable has worked successfully as of February 2024, and the telematics solution hosted by Inseego Ltd had been installed in 1271 of the council's vehicles. This represents 87 per cent of the council's fleet of 1410 vehicles. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .
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