Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Highways, Waste and Property.

The report of the Head of Service (Highways Waste and Property) incorporating an Energy Efficiency Strategy for 2017 to 2022 was presented for the Executive’s consideration and approval.

The Portfolio Member for Highways, Waste and Property reported that the strategy has been formulated to respond to national commitments on energy including the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2014; rising energy prices and long-term damage to the environment. The strategy also designates roles and responsibilities to implement the strategy, to identify and make the best use of Government grants and to disseminate the message about saving energy more widely across the Council. The aim of the strategy is to enable the Council in Anglesey to deliver a 15% reduction in its energy consumption by 2022 and to ensure that all its energy consumption derives from a carbon neutral source by 2050. The Council’s annual expenditure on energy and waste was over £2.1m in 2015/16; by adopting the recommendations of the strategy, the Council can mitigate the effects of above inflation increases in fuel costs. The Council has already initiated a number of energy saving projects, some of which have come to fruition. The overall objectives are to reduce energy consumption; to promote green energy sources and to generate employment opportunities from the green energy industry. This will be done initially on an invest to save basis with the expectation that much of the expenditure will be recouped over time in lower energy costs.

The Portfolio Member for Highways, Waste and Property said that the Executive will be provided with regular progress reports; Members of the Executive are also keen to receive more specific information about actual and potential energy saving plans.

The Head of Service (Highways, Waste and Property) said that the Council does have a programme of energy saving works which is dependent wholly on Welsh Government grants e.g. the SALIX Wales funding programme. The Authority has been particularly successful with regard to funding for street lighting with 40% of street lighting now LED lighting which has been paid for by the saving on the energy consumed and also by the reduced maintenance costs for this type of lighting. It is accepted that currently there is no capital funding available internally within the Council to support this programme there being other priorities in the capital programme.

The Executive whilst supporting the strategy, sought assurance regarding the achievability of the strategy’s aims given the funding limitations. The Executive also requested that it have sight of the programme of energy saving works referred to by the Officer and further suggested that there might be potential alternative sources of funding e.g. interest free loans for the programme that could be explored.

The Head of Service (Highways, Waste and Property) confirmed that the strategy is capable of being realised. There are grants/finance for example for lighting which can be paid back over a fixed term and if a scheme meets the energy efficiency criteria then there is good chance of securing a grant – another such high priority scheme is boiler replacement in the leisure centres. The Officer said that the energy saving programme will be brought to the Executive in the near future.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Partnerships, Community and Service Improvement) said that progress against the energy efficiency plan will be monitored by the internal Corporate Land and Building Assets group.

It was resolved to approve the Energy Management Strategy for 2017 to 2022 as presented.