Carbon Trust now working with more than 200 Local Authorities to cut carbon and slash energy bills
Seventy four more local authorities from across England and Scotland are set to collectively cut their carbon footprints by 518,000 tonnes and energy costs by £50 million by joining the sixth year of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management Programme (LACM) which launches today.
The Carbon Trust is now working with 215 of the UK’s 468 local authorities – around 45 per cent - to assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a robust strategy to drastically reduce their carbon footprints over a five to ten year period.
Through the previous five years of the LACM programme, the Carbon Trust worked with 141 local authorities, identifying annual savings of more than £70 million and 861,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide across all sites involved. Many of the new participants can expect to reduce their energy bills by up to 20 per cent.
Tom Cumberlege, Public Sector Manager at the Carbon Trust, said,
“The financial and environmental incentives to cut carbon are clear. Local authorities in the UK are responsible for spend in the region of £1.4 billion every year1 on energy and through their own operations alone collectively emit nearly seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide. When it comes to taking action on climate change, local authorities are in a unique position to be clear leaders and work together with local businesses and residents. The Carbon Trust is delighted to be supporting 74 more local authorities in these efforts.
“The good news is that energy is one of the largest controllable overheads for councils and implementing good carbon management can lead to significant cash savings on bills. As well as releasing funds which can be better spent on resources and services for local residents, this will also enable councils to cut carbon emissions and improve their reputation in the community.
Launched in 2003, the LACM programme is designed to deliver improved energy management of vehicle fleets and academic, accommodation and leisure buildings. The programme is supported by a bespoke toolkit – a web-based manual that gives detailed guidance on the programme’s process and technical advice. It also facilitates the sharing of best practice between participants, enabling them to learn from each other’s experience, thereby optimising results.
The sixth phase of the Carbon Trust’s Local Authority Carbon Management programme will run until March 2009.
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