Teignbridge Council's innovative energy plans
An innovative plan aimed at tackling climate change and reducing energy costs has been approved by Teignbridge District Council.
The Council is leading the way in climate change action after its ruling Executive approved its Energy and Carbon Reduction Plan 2012 - 2017.
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Ian Flood-Page
Teignbridge's commitment to the plan builds on many previous successes in reducing its carbon footprint as well as making financial savings.
The five-year plan sets out to reduce the Council’s carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2017, in a bid to save up to £881k.
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The Council is one of the smallest districts in the country to have worked in partnership with The Carbon Trust in establishing a plan, which tackles direct and indirect carbon emissions across the authority’s property and estates portfolio.
The aim of the plan is for the Council to reduce waste and the reliance on fossil fuels, become more energy efficient, contribute to ongoing cost savings and protect the environment for future generations.
The plan contains 34 projects aimed at improving energy efficiency,
Six out of the 34 have already been completed, including installing 52 solar panels on the roof of the Council’s Forde House headquarters and putting in new energy saving equipment at Newton Abbot and Dawlish leisure centres.
The completed projects have resulted in a 171.2 tonne saving of carbon dioxide each year and an annual financial saving of £38,943. Nine other projects are fully funded, six have yet to secure funding and the remaining 13 are potential future projects which require detailed feasibility studies before they are implemented.
Cllr Kevin Lake, Teignbridge District Council’s Executive Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, sits on the Carbon Management Program Board which is responsible for making sure commitments within the plan are fulfilled.
Cllr Lake said: “Climate change is an important issue for all of us and it has far-reaching impacts on our health, the environment, resources and economic development. We all need to do our bit to be more environmentally friendly so it’s only right that we should also continue to get our own house in order.
“Teignbridge recognises the need to reduce energy consumption and tackle climate change in any way it can. The Council has already done a lot of work to make sure it reduces the amount of carbon it uses but there is still more to do.
“The plan, created in partnership with The Carbon Trust, brings together projects to reduce the amount of carbon emissions produced by our estates and operations to the minimum that is realistically possible. The targets are achievable and we are already seeing results from some of the things we’ve done.
“We believe that you should lead by example. We hope our work inspires residents and local businesses to do their bit to help preserve our environment and lower their own energy bills.”
Over the last few years Teignbridge has been making changes to help protect and preserve the environment, reduce costs and provide customers with the same high standards of service.
Its existing Carbon Management Action Plan resulted in a significant reduction in carbon emissions. The Council was the first authority in the country to use eco-friendly refuse vehicles and consistently promotes recycling and other eco-friendly measures to its customers, staff and local businesses. In-house measures include communal staff recycling in place of individual bins, with compost produced on-site from staff food waste. This is the next step, which will see Teignbridge continue to lead the way to a brighter cleaner future for all its residents.
To view the document
>visit the council's website
Comments
by realityzone
Wednesday, September 12 2012, 6:07PM
“If there's anything in this " save the planet by using less energy" malarky, why have brooms been replaced by petrol drinking motorised blowers, often by Local Authorities. I watched a worker using one of these and he blew the leaves up into the air where the wind swiftly blew them back again. Not to mention all the other power assisted gadgets which we never needed.”