Energy Management in Municipal Buildings. Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) THE CITY THE UK CONTEXT

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1 Energy Management in Municipal Buildings Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) Newcastle City Council is a large scale user of energy in its own stock of municipal buildings. Over the past ten years energy consumption has been progressively reduced by better monitoring, management and improving equipment and insulation standards. THE CITY Newcastle upon Tyne is the main business and administrative centre of North East England in the UK. Newcastle s population is approximately 260,000 with an additional 50,000 students attending the city s two universities and higher education college. Over 80,000 people also enter the city every day to work. Historically, the city had a manufacturing based economy with shipbuilding being a major industry. Today, in common with the UK as a whole, the city has a more service based economy with only 8% of people employed in manufacturing compared to 14% in the retail sector. This shift is evidenced by the regeneration of the Quayside; a former industrial centre, it is now a thriving area of bars, cafés and cultural buildings. Climatic data: Annual Heating Degree Days: 2482 Annual Average Temperature: 7.8 C Annual Hours of Sunshine: 1256 THE UK CONTEXT The UK s commitment to reduce CO 2 emissions under the Kyoto protocol has been set at a 5.2% reduction on 1990 levels by The UK government has gone further than the international agreements and set a domestic carbon dioxide reduction target of 20% by Local authorities are at the forefront of efforts to meet these targets, with responsibility for reducing CO 2 emissions both in their own building stock and in the domestic sector. In the domestic sector the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) requires every UK local authority with housing responsibilities (designated as "energy conservation authorities" ECA) to submit an energy conservation report to the Secretary of State identifying practicable and costeffective measures to significantly improve the energy efficiency of all residential accommodation in their area; and to report on progress made in implementing the measures. The improvement was fixed at 30% and had to be achieved over a ten-year period with effect from 1 st April HECA has served to focus the attention of local authorities more closely on the energy efficiency of all residential accommodation, and on developing an integrated approach to their housing and energy efficiency strategies. Improvements achieved through HECA will contribute to meeting the UK's Climate Change commitments. Energie-Cités page 1

2 The Local Government Act 1999 requires local authorities to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which they exercise their functions. Local authorities are judged by whether services for local people improve year after year. The process by which this is achieved is known as Best Value. A number of Best Value indicators are used to evaluate performance by LA s. The indicator used to monitor the energy consumption performance of municipal buildings is known as BV180a: BV180a the energy consumption/m 2 of local authority operational property, compared with comparable buildings in the UK as a whole. Performance is evaluated by comparison of the consumption for a particular building against a range of benchmarks which for which typical and good practice performance levels have been defined. Performance against the benchmark is expressed as a percentage above or below the typical performance level. Benchmarks have been developed for the following building types: Town Hall Civic Offices Sports Centres Libraries Museums Care Homes Sheltered Housing Temporary Homeless Units Community Centres Day Centres Depots Car Parks EXPERIENCE OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE As a large consumer of energy, Newcastle City Council has over 500 major buildings and 38,400 domestic properties within their portfolio. The authority has an annual building related energy and water bill of approximately 6M resulting in CO 2 emissions of 63,500 tonnes. The municipality uses over 500,000 m 3 of water in its buildings. Each building has a designated Energy Officer with responsibility for the energy consumption of that building. The Energy Centre (the energy efficiency department of the City Council) currently monitor the energy consumption in each of the authorities buildings, provide information and advice to 40,000 tenants and are responsible for implementing HECA for all 120,000 properties in the city. The City Council is committed to achieving a 30% energy and water saving by 2010 and also to achieve the objectives of the Home Energy Conservation Act. It aims to provide Best Value services across all Directorates, actively promote energy awareness within the city and promote Newcastle as an energy city. Newcastle City Council is committed to energy efficiency and it was probably the first local authority in the country to set up a Fuel Efficiency Section, as long ago as This later became the Energy Centre. Since that time the City Council has always been at the forefront of energy efficiency. The Energy Centre objectives are to help the Council reduce energy consumption within its own buildings and help residents throughout the city reduce their domestic energy use. Financial help is available towards installing energy efficiency measures in the home and office environment. Energie-Cités page 2

3 The Energy Centre manages the Good Stewardship Fund. This is available to fund energy efficiency measures in council buildings, providing a payback period of less than 5 years can be demonstrated. The GSF is currently worth (~ ) for 2003/4 2004/5. Measures funded include insulation (of lofts, pipework, walls etc.), energy management systems, energy efficient boilers and energy efficient lighting schemes. Monitoring and Targeting In order to achieve savings, current consumption levels must be known. One of the most important factors in achieving savings is therefore the accurate monitoring of energy consumption. The Energy Centre currently monitors the energy consumption in 550 municipal buildings, including: schools, administrative offices, sport facilities, cultural centres, social housing, libraries, depots and community centres. The authority has used an energy monitoring and targeting (M&T) system, provided by Stark Software Ltd, since The M&T system monitors the gas, electricity and water consumption in municipal buildings. The system stores data from utility bills, with data for the majority of buildings being updated quarterly when the bills are received. For each building, the system also holds data on factors such as floor area, number of occupants and hours of occupation. CO 2 emissions of the monitored buildings can also be calculated by using factors applied to the electricity and gas consumption. Performance over groups of buildings can be ranked in various ways e.g. energy consumption/m 2 or water consumption per occupant. Energy Centre resources can then be targeted on those buildings that perform poorly The Stark M&T system enables early identification of problems (for example leaks), provision of accurate annual energy budgets and allows improvements from installed efficiency measures to be measured over the long term. Reports on energy performance are regularly sent to individual building managers and to senior managers in charge of energy use within each Directorate. An example of such a report is shown in Fig 1. overleaf. The Energy Officer studies various reports for their buildings and targets their efforts on the worst performers. Actions taken may include carrying out an energy survey of the building and recommending energy/water efficiency measures. The Energy Officer would then supervise installation of these measures including sourcing the funding for that work. In addition to utility bill data, over the past year, the Energy Centre team has been taking monthly meter readings at all civic sites to enable the setting of initial targets for BV180a. The target is to achieve continuous improvement of the indicator against the benchmarks. Fig. 1. An example M&T report Energie-Cités page 3

4 Billbuster Scheme Where even closer monitoring of energy consumption is required, the Energy Centre administers a scheme called Billbuster. This is an Excel spreadsheet based system that allows staff in municipal buildings to monitor their consumption on a weekly basis. It encourages schools and building managers to become more involved in their own consumption. The system produces a weekly print-out with a space for the site manager or caretaker to record the current meter reading for every utility meter on-site. The previous meter reading for each meter on site is also shown (see Fig 2. overleaf). Being able to compare current and previous reads in this way reduces the likelihood the meter reader making an error when taking a reading. The caretaker then faxes their sheet to the Energy Centre and the readings are entered onto the system. Graphs are produced showing the consumption for gas, electricity and water for that week, and cumulative performance against their target (generally Fig. 2: A Billbuster meter reading sheet a 5% reduction on the previous year). The graphs are then sent back to the school and they are encouraged to display them prominently to involve children and staff in the effort to reduce consumption. This weekly feedback on performance gives site managers/caretakers a clearer picture of their energy use allows early rectification of problems e.g. leaks. Average annual energy savings of around 10% have been achieved as a result. Fig 2. Billbuster graph showing raw weekly electricity consumption (black bars) against target consumption (red line) Fig 3. Billbuster graph showing cumulative electricity consumption (black bars) against target consumption (red line) Energy Management Systems Newcastle City Council has installed energy management systems in 125 of its major buildings. The systems provide computerised control of heating and hot water systems to achieve optimum energy saving. The energy management systems are monitored and programmed remotely by the Energy Centre staff via telephone lines and more recently via the internet. The installation of these systems has achieved significant savings with an average payback period of five years. Automatic Lighting Controls Lighting controls have been installed in over 70 schools and in a number of offices. A central government grant called Lightswitch was used to fund this work with the match funding coming from the GSF. The controls switch off lights when areas such as classrooms, halls, corridors, toilets and even cupboards are unoccupied. Daylight controls have also been introduced to reduce Energie-Cités page 4

5 the lighting level in classrooms/offices when the natural level is adequate. Savings for these measures average 12%. Low Energy Lighting Schemes A programme of replacing old lighting systems with more efficient types has been carried out in schools, offices, swimming pools and social service buildings. Tungsten filament lamps have been replaced with 2D fittings or compact fluorescent fittings and T12 fluorescent lamps have been replaced with T8 lamps. Savings from these measures vary according to the particulars of each scheme. However, as an 8% saving results from T12 to T8 lamp replacement alone, total savings are usually well in excess of this figure (especially when combined with automatic lighting controls). Recent schemes now use T5 fluorescent tubes and high frequency control gear providing even greater savings. Insulation and Draught Proofing A large programme of providing roof insulation, cavity wall insulation and draught proofing up to current standards has been undertaken across all buildings. In addition, pool covers have been fitted to all the city's public swimming pools. It is estimated that average savings on heating bills (gas consumption) for these measures are in the region of 15%. Hot Water Systems In the past, most of Newcastle s buildings had their hot water needs met via large storage calorifiers. A comprehensive programme has been undertaken to replace the calorifiers with direct-fired gas instantaneous water heaters. These systems have provided quick payback, usually within two years. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) The City Council has over 1.5MW electrical and 3MW heat output installed in its civic buildings and a 1MW (e) plant at its Byker Waste Reclamation plant. However, only the CHP units in the Civic Centre, East End Pool and Queens Court Flats are currently in operation. Current market conditions for CHP in the UK are not favourable due to high gas prices and low electricity prices. A number of other sites which previously had CHP have been suspended until market conditions for CHP improve. Good Housekeeping/ Training The Energy Centre recognise that good housekeeping, awareness and training are at least as important as technical initiatives in achieving and retaining energy savings. Regular training is carried out for building managers, caretakers and building users. Training sessions are carried out by an appropriately qualified Energy Officer, and the topics covered are tailored to suit the audience. Education programmes are carried out in all our primary schools for pupils and staff. The award winning Energy Leader Scheme uses drama, videos, competitions and newsletters to encourage our children to become Energy Leaders and save energy at school and at home now and into the future. Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme The municipality has recently gained Energy Efficiency Accreditation. The scheme is appraised through the leading professional energy body, the Institute of Energy. Accreditation is achieved by demonstrating commitment and achievement in three main areas of management commitment to energy efficiency, investment (both actual and planned) in energy efficiency measures, a record of progressive improvement in energy efficiency. Evaluations have been carried out over a number of months by independent, experienced assessors. The scheme provides the authority with: A nationally recognised award for energy efficiency. A means of demonstrating environmental achievement to the public, customers and staff. An independent check on energy management systems and practices. Energie-Cités page 5

6 Procurement and Generation of Renewable Electricity A number of Newcastle City Council buildings are currently supplied by renewable electricity including the Civic Centre, Central Library, and the Laing Art Gallery. The consumption in those buildings supplied by green electricity represents 10% of the total for the city. In 2004 the Newcastle City Council will be going 100% green - all Council buildings will be supplied by clean, green electricity from renewable sources. This will result in an annual reduction in CO 2 emissions of over 22,000 tonnes. This clearly demonstrates our drive to become a more sustainable organisation, reducing our impacts on the environment and providing a clear lead in the effort to make Newcastle a Carbon Neutral city. The UK government has set a target to produce 10% of electricity from renewable sources by the year The Solar Grants Programme from the Department of Trade and Industry is a 20M photovoltaic (pv) demonstration programme. Newcastle City Council has successfully secured 250,000 of funding from this programme for a project at Newbiggin Hall in the west of the city. The project comprises of 25 pv arrays set on the roof of a three-storey block of flats. Each of the 25 pv systems will be roof integrated and 1530W p in size, giving a total installed capacity of 38.25kW p. The Solar Grants Programme is also funding a smaller project at a new green office building at the city s green waste recycling plant, here the pv array will be 4.8kW p in size and will be mounted on top of the existing roof. The building is also equipped with a solar water heater providing domestic hot water, a ground source heat pump heating system, high levels of insulation and a rainwater collection system. This building will serve as a working demonstration of how renewable technologies can be integrated into new developments, and will hopefully increase uptake of these technologies in Newcastle. Carbon Neutral Newcastle. Newcastle wants to be the first city in the world to cut its carbon emissions to zero. In partnership with climate change business Future Forests (who own the trademark Carbon Neutral ), and science partners the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM) we have calculated that the city produces approximately 1.8 million tonnes of CO 2 annually. Individuals can use the interactive carbon calculator on the Carbon Neutral website, to calculate their emissions. They are then guided to products and services that can help them reduce their emissions, for example green electricity from lead sponsor Scottish Power. Where emissions cannot be reduced, offsetting or balancing those emissions is the next step. This can be done online by buying offset certificates, for example 8.50 to offset the emissions from a short haul flight. The proceeds of this are paid into the Carbon Neutral Newcastle fund, which is used to fund local offset projects such as clean energy and forestry projects which bring economic and social improvement to the region. The fund is administered by charitable organisation the Community Foundation. For businesses the assess, reduce and offset approach is the same. Businesses are assisted to carry out their carbon assessments enabling them to quickly and easily understand the key sources of their emissions. They are also offered: A free energy audit and carbon reduction action plan. High quality local carbon offset to 'neutralise' emissions - with clean-energy and forestry projects in the North East. Use of the Carbon Neutral brand mark. Campaign management to create impact and educate internal and external audiences about the environmental positioning of the company Marketing development - generating ideas, programmes and PR opportunities. Energie-Cités page 6

7 EVALUATION AND OUTLOOK Newcastle City Council have implemented many energy efficiency measures and campaigns to reduce energy and water consumption and associated CO 2 emissions. These have been successful in reducing consumption and costs for the authority. However savings must be set in the context of ever increasing demand. The increase in demand, for electricity particularly, presents us with continuing challenges, which require innovative solutions and a culture of continuous improvement. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Newcastle City Council The Energy Centre Matt Dunlop Matt.dunlopp@newcastle.gov.uk This case study was prepared by Energie-Cités in collaboration with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Commission (Directorate General for the Environment, under the Community framework for Cooperation to Promote Sustainable development / Contract reference SUB 02/344292). The views expressed herein are those of Energie-Cités and its partners and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Energie-Cités page 7