Getting the information you need

Data availability is crucial for deciding how to cut carbon emissions and save energy. It is vital that enough data is available to allow you to make a full appraisal of policy options and their likely consequences.

It should be reasonably easy to get data on your council’s own estate, such as  building energy consumption, or travel to work. It may be more difficult to calculate emissions and consumption for other aspects of your estate energy management. Other councils, and organisations such as the Carbon Trust and the Energy Saving Trust, can offer you advice and support with this.

Some councils – including some of the beacon authorities for sustainable energy – have joined the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme (LACMP). Through the LACMP, the trust employs consultants to calculate the local authority’s estate or corporate carbon dioxide emissions. It then works with the council to develop a plan to reduce emissions. If your local authority opts to join the Carbon Trust programme, this will have the added benefit of strengthening your corporate commitment to action on energy. A clear commitment is required to participate in the programme.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) publishes data on community-wide emissions for all local authority areas annually.

Some of the higher performing councils have gone further and have established a city-wide system of remote metering for council buildings. While this is likely to be beyond most councils' capabilities at present, it does demonstrate what can be achieved given the right resources.

Many councils have found environmental management systems (EMS) – such as Eco-Management and Auditing Scheme (EMAS) and ISO14000 – are useful for creating a framework for action. Adopting an EMS can help you get high-level commitment and action on energy in your council. It is useful for maximising limited staff and financial resources. And it ensures that data on energy use is recorded and trends are monitored.

Finally, it can help underpin partnership working within and beyond your local authority. Contact the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment for further advice.

Checklist

Do you have sufficient data to make decisions about what the most effective energy actions are? What are the costs and the likely payback period?

Have you established an EMS to monitor progress towards energy goals? If not, do you have another effective means to storing and managing energy information?

Case studies

Leicester City Council has installed an intelligent metering and monitoring system to find out when energy, water and other consumables were being wasted.

Intelligent Metering in Leicester

Nottinghamshire County Council has developed a clear strategic framework to deliver sustainable energy objectives and used environmental reporting.

Beacon council case studies – on the Beacons website

Useful links and resources

On the Sustainable Energy Benchmark

You can use the benchmark to evaluate your council's performance and identify where to improve.

Management systems decision making

Monitoring energy use and carbon emissions

Resources: estate manager 

Carbon management programme

Travel plans

Fleet management 

Procurement of transport services 

Own buildings energy management

Schools energy management 

The Nottingham Declaration

The Nottingham Declaration recognises the central role of local authorities in leading society's response to the challenge of climate change. The website contains a wealth of information to help councils address the causes of climate change and to prepare their communities for its impacts.

Accessing the situation: developing an action plan – on the Nottingham Declaration website

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Defra provide details of carbon dioxide emissions for localities and regions, last published in September 2008. 

'Emissions of Carbon Dioxide for Local Authority Areas' – on the Defra website

Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)

The IEMA is the UK web portal for information, advice and support on environmental management systems (EMS). The IEMA Acorn Scheme is an officially recognised EMS standard recommended by the government.

More about environmental management systems – on the IEMA website

The IEMA Acorn Scheme – on the IEMA website

British Standards Institution

ISO 14001 is an internationally-accepted standard that sets out how you can go about putting in place an effective Environmental Management System (EMS).

ISO14001 – on the website of the British Standards Institution (BSI)

Ecological Footprinting

Ecological Footprinting can help local authorities and their partners achieve genuinely sustainable communities.

Get your council's carbon and ecological footprints – from the REAP website

Ecological Footprints: A guide for local authorities – on the website of Ecological Budget UK