Carbon Trust commitments

Departments to adopt the Carbon Trust Carbon Management Programme or sign up to the Carbon Trust Energy Efficiency Programme, and show proactive management to the risks and opportunities relating to climate change mitigation.

Department Adopted a Carbon Trust Carbon Management Programme? Scope of this programme in relation to whole estate Signed up to the Carbon Trust’s Energy Efficiency Programme? Scope of this accreditation in relation to whole estate. Perf ormanc e

CLG Yes Majority coverage No –

CO Yes All major sites Yes All major sites

DCA No – No –

DCMS No – Yes The whole of the core _estate

Defra Yes

Core, Environment

Agency and executive agencies

Yes Entire estate

DfES Yes All HQ buildings No –

DFID No – Yes Both UK buildings

DfT No – Yes Embryonic at present

DH No – No –

DTI Yes HQ, limited cover to

executive agencies Yes Headquarters

DWP Yes – No – ECGD No Not applicable (department too small) No – FC No – No –

FCO Yes Majority of UK estate No –

FSA No

Discussions taking place with the Carbon

Trust

No –

HMRC No Action plan in place to _{develop CMP} No –

HMT Yes Carbon Trust have

evaluated operations Yes

No further information provided HO No – Prison estate – accreditation has lapsed

Prison Service estate

LOD No – Yes CPS only

MOD No Programme being developed with Carbon Trust Yes Looking to achieve accreditation by end 2009.

ONS No – Yes No further information _provided

Pan-

government – – – –

Table 6.1 Carbon Trust commitments

In general there has been a fair uptake of the

schemes across departments, with 10 departments

signing up to one or both of the schemes and showing a good level of coverage; and a further three departments with reasonable coverage. Of the

remaining departments, FSA and HMRC have action plans in place to engage with the schemes, and the

HO prison estate had achieved accreditation to the EEAS in the past but this has lapsed due to lack of funding. ECGD has been advised by the Carbon Trust

that it is too small to be able to engage with either scheme.

The SDC would urge those departments not yet in either of the Carbon Trust schemes to sign up as a matter of urgency. Where the Carbon Trust has advised that the department’s estate size precludes

participation in either scheme, government should

agree an alternative method for attaining an equivalent standard.

‘’The Built Environment Sustainability Team (BEST) Defra Estates analysed performance across the estate in Summer 2006 and found that Defra was not on track to deliver key energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets. Defra had signed up to the Carbon Management Programme in October 2005, but no real progress had been made.

BEST, working with the Carbon Trust, developed a Carbon Management Programme to assist Defra in developing a systematic approach to carbon management and reducing its carbon emissions. This programme runs from April 2006 to March 2009 and has a ring-fenced fund of £600,000 to deliver projects which will assist Defra in achieving the necessary carbon emissions reductions.

Part of this programme is to increase Buildings and Facilities Managers’ participation in carbon reduction projects within the Defra Network. In order to raise awareness of the issues, promote good practice and develop a series of operational projects, BEST assisted by a Carbon Trust consultant, organised and facilitated a series of carbon management workshops in a number of different locations.

These workshops set the context for the programme, outlined the importance of Defra’s role in the UK Climate Change Programme, focused on the operational carbon and energy efficiency of buildings and equipment within the estate, and the impact those attending the workshops could have on them. A follow

up questionnaire captured feedback from the events, which was used to shape the agenda for subsequent workshops. Good practice and lessons learned have also been shared through the network along with details of specific carbon reduction initiatives across the estate.

To date, three workshops have been held and a further nine are planned. BEST have now developed specific improvement trajectories which, with the appropriate level of investment, will deliver our 2010 and 2020 targets. Progress towards this is monitored quarterly and includes information supplied through the Carbon Management Programme. Future workshops will provide the opportunity to inform Building and Facilities Managers of progress and will identify further improvement opportunities.

Initially, there was a high level of scepticism within the target group – a feeling of “I am already doing everything I can within my building – what else can I do?” Consequently, attendance at the first workshop was a little low. BEST has used their intranet website to share information, presentations, ideas for projects and details of available funding from the Carbon Management Programme. This has been followed up with a series of contacts by members of the team and seems to have sparked more interest in the programme. Attendance at events two and three have improved and we are confident that this will continue throughout the remainder of the programme.’’

Defra, 2007

Case Study 6.1

Defra – Carbon Management Programme and Workshops

Departments are mandated to apply the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) or an appropriate equivalent to all completed new build projects and major refurbishments with a value in excess of £0.5million. The aim of the BREEAM process is to understand and mitigate the environmental impacts associated with building and refurbishment.

Where BREEAM is used, all new projects must

achieve an “excellent” rating and all refurbishment

projects at least a “very good” rating, unless

site constraints or project objectives mean that

this requirement conflicts with the obligation to

achieve value for money. Where an alternative

environmental assessment methodology is used,

such as the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Related

Environmental Assessment Methodology (‘DREAM’),

projects should seek to achieve equivalent ratings. 10 departments completed new build or major refurbishments during 2006/07 (see Table 6.2). The following departments did not complete any new builds or major refurbishment projects in the

reporting year, so are not included in this part of the assessment: CO, CLG, Defra, DfES, DFID, DH, DTI, ECGD, FSA, HMT, and ONS.