Our Action Plan

Carbon Footprint - Non-domestic buildings

Non-domestic buildings

Non-domestic buildings	2003/04 (result)	2016/17 (result)	2017/18 (result)	2018/19 (result)	2018/19 v 2017/18 Progress	2018/19 v 2017/18 % change
Consumption (kWh)	71,127,847	49,217,855	48,446,196	48,272,333	Improved	-0.36%
Carbon emissions (tCO2e)	18,564	12,765	11,762	10,285	Improved	-12.58%

 

The Council has reduced carbon emissions from its non-domestic buildings by 45% since 2003/04 – from 18,564 tCO₂e to 10,285 tCO₂e. A reduction in emissions of 12.58% occurred from 2017/18 into 2018/19.

Energy consumed by the Council's non-domestic buildings in 2018/19 and resultant emissions:

 

Utility	Consumption (KWh) (4)	Carbon emissions (tCO2e)
Electricity	14,005,501	3,965
Gas	28,943,605	5,324
LPG*	2,180,161	468
Oil	1,589,291	439
Kerosene	281,247	69
Biomass	1,272,527	19
Total	48,272,332	10,284

 *liquefied pretroleum gas

The Council's 'top'energy-consuming/carbon emitting buildings in 2018/19:

Buildings	Biomass (kWh)	Oil (kWh)	LPG (kWh)	Gas (kWh)	Electricity (kWh)	Total (KWh)	CO2 Emissions (tCO2)
Haverfordwest High School (Prendergast Campus)	0	0	0	1,455,484	453,824	1,909,308	382
Haverfordwest Leisure Centre	1,178,352	0	0	560,176	1,006,753	2,745,281	377
Haverfordwest High School (portfield Campus)	0	0	0	1,486,044	319,063	1,805,107	354
Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School	0	0	0	957,048	632,989	1,590,037	336
Milford Haven Leisure Centre	0	0	0	1,482,035	234,978	1,717,013	332
Fishguard Leisure Centre	0	0	0	1,235,896	368,790	1,604,686	320
Milford Haven Comprehensive School	0	0	0	1,120,660	299,199	1,419,860	282
Tenby Leisure Centre	0	0	0	1,033,770	281,948	1,315,718	261
Ysgol y Preseli	0	602,764	13,015	0	356,378	972,157	246
Greenhill School Tenby	0	0	0	905,657	313,194	1,218,851	246
Ysgol Bro Gwaun/Fishguard High School	0	0	0	928,373	237,499	1,165,872	231
County Hall (Main Building)	0	0	0	520,101	476,196	996,297	216

 

Total tCO2 = 3,583

 

Notes:

(1) 2003/04 was the year that PCC first recorded and reported energy consumption and emissions from non-domestic buildings to the Welsh Government, and thus represents the oldest data set available.

(2) While consumption (in kilowatt hours – kWh) decreased only 0.36% in 2018/19 (consumption was held steady due to the expansion in the floor area of the corporate estate), carbon emissions (tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent – tCO₂e) decreased rapidly by 12.58% due to a reduction in the emission-conversion factor for electricity. The continuing decarbonisation of the national electricity-distribution network will help to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions from the Council’s consumption of electricity. The Council contributes to the decarbonisation of the electricity grid every time it connects a renewable-electricity generator (e.g. solar PV [photovoltaic] panels) to the grid network.

(3) The performance data quoted in this document uses, where appropriate, UK emission-conversion factors issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). These factors are published annually – for example: Greenhouse Gas Reporting Conversion Factors (opens in a new tab)  – and the tCO₂e factor for electricity transmission and distribution losses is included.

(4) All fuels used for heating have been suitably weather corrected against the latest 20-year average mean annual heating degree-day total for the base temperature of 15.5°C for the Wales region. This ensures that the consumption/emissions data for fuels used for heating is not distorted by unusually cold/mild winters.

 

Headline Actions – Existing non-domestic buildings

•  PCC spends around £3 million on electricity, gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil and biomass fuels each year in its non-domestic buildings – a figure that has held steady in the face of rapidly rising markets due to energy-efficiency work and the resulting reduced consumption.
• The procurement of energy has become increasingly complex, with prices volatile and linked to both UK and global factors. In order to minimise risk, the Council procures its energy using Crown Commercial Services Framework Agreements, via the National Procurement Service (opens in a new tab) (NPS), for the vast majority of supplies.
• The Council sits on the Welsh Government National Procurement Service (NPS) Energy Sub Group, shaping the NPS energy-procurement strategy.
• All electricity procured via the NPS comes from renewable energy sources, with about 50% of this being sourced from within Wales (Note: The consumption of this ‘green’ electricity is already reflected in the [decreasing] UK emission-conversion factor for electricity, and as a consequence the Council is currently unable to directly benefit from carbon savings resulting from its procurement of ‘green’ electricity as this would effectively amount to double-counting the carbon savings).
• The NPS authorities are part of the seventh-largest purchase (after the ‘Big 6’) of electricity and gas in UK markets taking advantage of the Crown Commercial Service’s professional energy-trading desks.
• The NPS is actively seeking low-carbon gas sources – e.g. bio methane from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) – and monitoring the hydrogen-gas agenda.
• Purchasing occurs across an 18-month buying window, with the aim of buying at market lows.
• Since 2003, the Council has implemented over 300 energy-efficiency and energy-generation schemes at non-domestic council properties across the County. Together, these are estimated to be saving over £700,000 and 4000 tonnes of CO₂ (tCO₂) each year. This investment – coupled with the Council’s ongoing property rationalisation, agile working and maintenance programmes – is producing financial and carbon savings in times of increasing utility prices.
• PCC is currently participating in the Welsh Government-supported Re:fit Cymru energy-efficiency programme (opens in a new tab):
• Re:fit Cymru Phase 1 – A £1.3 million scheme (funded by WG Salix interest-free loans) that will see the installation of 50+ energy-efficiency measures across 25 sites during 2019–2021, saving £200,000 and 416 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The scheme is in the delivery phase and will see the installation of LED lighting, controls upgrades, variable-speed drives, valve insulation, combined heating and power (CHP), and solar PV.
• Re:fit Cymru Phase 2 – PCC is currently working with its provider to deliver condensing-boiler upgrades at a further five sites, for delivery by the end of 2020.
• The Council is using Welsh Government education backlog maintenance funding to carry out LED lighting upgrades in nine further schools by March 2021.
• PCC has qualified staff producing Display Energy Certificates (DECs) in-house. DECs show the actual energy used by a building in one year of operation. An advisory report on how to reduce energy and water use accompanies the certificate. The average DEC performance of corporate buildings has improved year-on-year to the current score of 73, which gives an operational rating of ‘C’ (a score of 100, with a rating of ‘D’, being the default UK average).

 

Actions – New build

• The Council has one of the largest new-build programmes among local authorities in Wales. All major new-build projects incorporate renewable-energy technologies where appropriate, with solar PV installations being incorporated into all recent Modernising Education Provision 21st Century Schools (opens in a new tab) projects and into new housing developments. Battery storage is also being investigated, and has been proposed for inclusion in new housing developments (where provision for electric-vehicle charging is also being made).
• Other low- or zero-carbon technologies that have been installed and evaluated for future inclusion, where viable, include:
• ground-source heat pumps;
• air-source heat pumps (the South Quay regeneration project in Pembroke will use ASHP technology);
• biomass boilers (installed at Haverfordwest Leisure Centre); and
• solar thermal systems.

In addition, and in order to minimise energy use from new buildings, a ‘Fabric First (opens in a new tab)’ approach to energy efficiency is also being progressed and consideration is being given to ‘Passivhaus’ or equivalent certification.

(Note: The ‘Passivhaus’ standard (opens in a new tab) is a rigorous energy standard for buildings that provides quality assurance for both energy and environmental performance. This involves designing buildings to meet the required performance standards and includes:

• very high levels of insulation;
• extremely high-performance windows with insulated frames;
• airtight building fabric;
• ‘thermal-bridge-free’ construction; and
• a mechanical ventilation system with highly efficient heat recovery.

‘Passivhaus’ buildings have been shown to achieve a 75% reduction in space-heating requirements compared with standard practice for UK new build).

• PCC’s design team is currently working with the contractor, consultants and the Welsh Government to establish the practicality and costs of building the new Haverfordwest High School and Sports Hall to net zero-carbon standard.
• The Council routinely implements measures across its new-build programme, including:
• designing:
•  to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ sustainability standards
• for optimal orientation for passive heat gain/shading/ventilation
• for low energy and water use
• incorporating:
• PV solar panels as standard
• community benefits from projects (local use/employment)
• site-waste management plans
• site emissions tracking
• biodiversity surveys and landscaping measures to mitigate any impacts on wildlife
• specifying:
• recycled floor coverings
• WWF ‘chain of custody’ certification for all timber
• recycled glass bottle and hemp loft insulation
• recycled aggregates
• concrete blocks from ISO14001 EMS certified suppliers
• vernacular local species of plants that require only rainwater for all external planting
• monitoring:
• ‘materials miles’ for all materials
• likely future revisions of BREEAM, Part L (Building Regulations for Energy Efficiency) and the likely future (2021) requirement for nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs).
• The Stark ID energy-management system has been procured in order to achieve better monitoring of PCC’s energy consumption and better management of billing (potentially via paperless systems) – and to allow web-based access to individual sites. Accurate data is critical for planning, monitoring and reporting progress towards becoming net zero carbon. Accordingly, ‘smart’ and sub-metering technology will be extended to ensure the timely capture of energy-consumption data.
• Half-hourly (HH) electricity metering has been rolled out for all feasible buildings, and HH gas metering is installed for all larger supplies. This data feeds into Stark ID.

 

Target

An appropriate carbon-reduction target is to be developed as part of the annual review of the Action Plan.

 

Actions to be undertaken

Ref: NZC-01

• Action: Complete delivery of Re:fit Cymru (Energy Efficiency) Phases 1 and 2 projects to achieve energy/carbon savings.
• Lead officer: Head of Infrastructure
• By when: April 2021

 

Ref: NZC-02

• Action: Complete Welsh Government education backlog maintenance funded LED lighting upgrades in nine further schools.
• Lead officer: Head of Infrastructure
• By when: April 2021

 

Ref: NZC-03

• Action: Develop further phases of Re:fit Cymru (Energy Efficiency) project, or similar (e.g. use of WG backlog maintenance funds for energy efficiency in schools), to achieve accelerated energy/carbon savings. 
• Lead officer: Sustainable Development & Energy Manager
• By when: Ongoing

 

Ref: NZC-04

• Action: Incorporate wording into new-build design briefs to state that Pembrokeshire County Council require that new buildings are carbon neutral/net zero carbon in their energy use – and preferably carbon positive, in that they generate more energy than they can consume. 
• Lead officer: Sustainable Development & Energy Manager
• By when: Ongoing

 

Ref: NZC-05

• Action: Consider the ‘Fabric first’ or ‘Passivhaus’ standard, where appropriate, in new building-construction projects. 
• Lead officer: Senior Architect
• By when: Ongoing

 

Ref: NZC-06

• Action: Continually review and amend design specifications and briefs to reflect new technologies and energy-efficient equipment.
• Lead officer: Senior Architect and Senior Engineers
• By when: Ongoing

 

Ref: NZC-07

• Action: Extend ‘smart’ and sub-metering technology to ensure accurate and timely capture of energy-consumption data. Consider application for water smart metering.
• Lead officer: Various
• By when: Ongoing

 

Ref: NZC-08

• Action: Develop appropriate carbon-reduction target for the Council’s non-domestic buildings as part of annual review of Action Plan.
• Lead officer: Sustainable Development and Energy Manager
• By when: April 2021