16 May 2022
Hertfordshire County Council takes a big step towards carbon neutral buildings
Hertfordshire County Council has taken an important step towards its target to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 with a wide-ranging energy efficiency programme which will reduce the amount of energy used across 112 of its sites, while also decreasing the amount of carbon they emit.
Works have been taking place since May 2021 to install energy efficiency measures including cavity wall insulation and double glazing to better insulate some buildings. Modern air source heat pumps have also been introduced at nine sites to allow them to be heated without the need to burn fossil fuels.
As well as better insulation and more efficient heating, solar panels have been installed at 92 sites to allow the council to generate its own clean, renewable energy. Surplus electricity produced by these panels can be fed back to the grid to be used elsewhere.
The council estimates that these measures will result in a reduction of 1,653 tonnes of carbon per year, equivalent to over 8.4 million miles driven in a typical petrol car, or the total annual energy usage of over 400 homes.
In preparation for future energy efficiency works, the council has also commissioned 318 heat decarbonisation plans for schools, outlining the key steps needed to make their buildings carbon neutral.
Eric Buckmaster, Executive Member for The Environment said:
“We have committed to becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and reducing the amount of energy we use in our buildings will be vital in our efforts to achieve this. We also expect that these measures will reduce the economic pressures on the council caused by increasing energy costs.”
“We will continue to identify opportunities to decarbonise our buildings as set out in our Sustainable Hertfordshire Strategy, as we work to deliver a cleaner, greener, healthier Hertfordshire.”
Residents are encouraged to visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/sustainability to see what else the county council is doing to tackle the climate crisis and deliver a more sustainable county.
Notes to editors
The works have been completed using money from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund and the Sustainable Hertfordshire Fund. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund has been created by the Government to allow councils and other public sector organisations to improve their energy efficiency and reduce the amount of carbon they produce.
Potential energy savings are only estimates at this stage; however, the buildings energy performance will be routinely evaluated going forward to measure the effectiveness of the works and track the council’s progress in decarbonising its buildings.
A video of our Executive Member for The Environment talking about these works is available on YouTube, the original file can be made available upon request.
About Hertfordshire County Council
We are working to build a sustainable, inclusive and thriving Hertfordshire, as we deliver hundreds of services to the 1.2million people who live in the county.
We want to create a county where every resident thrives and achieves their aspirations, where economic growth, innovation and industry are supported, and our environment is protected for future generations.
Above all, we want to be a council that Hertfordshire’s people recognise as being on their side.
To find out more about our key priorities and our commitments to our residents visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/corporateplan
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