Isra-Mart srl:Carbon Trust: Public sector energy efficiency could save £1bn

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The public sector could save £1 billion and shed 46 million tonnes of CO2 a year simply by improving energy efficiency, the Carbon Trust said yesterday.

The government-backed advisory body identified a series of “immediate opportunities” for public organisations, including more energy efficient heating and lighting systems, building improvements, and reforms to travel policies.

It calculated that combined these measures could cut the carbon footprint of hospitals, universities, local authorities and central government organisations by roughly the annual output of London. It added that the savings would come over and above those achieved by current energy efficiency projects, which are expected to deliver net cost savings of over £400m and slash CO2 emissions by 10 million tonnes a year.

The Trust said that its carbon management programme has helped local authorities save £367m over five years, cut higher education institutions’ energy bills by £48m, and saved NHS projects £153m as part of measures that have also cut carbon footprints by an average of 30 per cent.

The latest calculations follow the launch in May of a major new programme designed to help 20 government departments cut their greenhouse gas emissions and energy use in order to meet David Cameron’s targeted decrease of 10 per cent over the coming year.

Richard Rugg, head of the public sector at the Carbon Trust, called on more public bodies to join the 2,500 participating in Trust-assisted schemes and realise the savings offered by carbon management programmes.

“Today, public sector organisations are working in an incredibly tough environment with cost cutting right at the top of the agenda,” he said. “In 2011, actively managing energy and carbon must form an essential part of any efficiency strategy for every single public sector organisation – from the smallest local councils to the biggest NHS Trusts. We want to see more organisations stepping forward to take up the challenge.”