To receive a presentation by the Climate Change Manager.
Minutes:
The Climate Change Manager and Programme, Business Planning and Performance Manager provided an update on the Council’s progress towards achieving its net zero target following the submission of documentation by Audit Wales and Zurich Municipal on the climate change response to the Governance and Audit Committee’s December, 2022 meeting. It was reported at that time that one of the Council’s priorities was to create a carbon emissions baseline to understand the Council’s current position together with a dashboard to provide a visual representation of progress being made which can be updated and monitored accordingly.
The Committee was shown a visual copy of the carbon emissions dashboard which is based on data the Council submits to Welsh Government annually as part of the public sector reporting requirements. The report was divided into three scopes with Scope 1 covering emissions that the reporting organisation makes directly, Scope 2 the emissions that are made indirectly and Scope 3 all indirect emissions not included in Scope 2. For the first part of the project the Council has looked at Scope 1 and 2. A dashboard was created which links directly to the data, the data is then processed by Power BI to give a summary based on the reporting criteria set out by Welsh Government. This provides a visual picture of the current internal situation for the purpose of further analysis, enquiry and to ensure meaningful implementation. The dashboard focuses on the carbon emissions generated by the fuel combusted in the Council’s facilities from the perspective of electricity, gas, LPG and oil usage for the three years from 2019/20 through to 2021/22. The data shows that the Council’s primary schools are the biggest energy users, followed by the secondary schools, leisure centres and the main Council offices. It has also been possible to evidence a reduction in carbon emissions as a result of travelling over those years with the pandemic having an impact. Additionally, the emissions data can be analysed to look at the breakdown of emissions from energy use in individual establishments. This process needs to be developed further to update the dataset on a regular basis the aim being to produce quarterly updates for the Leadership Team and to undertake case studies. It is also the intention in the next year to integrate Scope 3 into the dashboard which covers indirect emission sources including supply chains, employee commuting and business travel as well as examining data sources with a view to automating the data collection process thereby making it a less onerous task.
The Committee thanked the Officers for the update and raised the following points with regard to the information presented –
· How the carbon emissions data can be used meaningfully in relation to individual buildings. Reference was made to the existing stock of school buildings which comprises new schools which are energy efficient, as well as schools constructed in the last century which have poor energy efficiency and are expensive to run which makes comparison difficult.
The Committee was advised that emissions from all buildings be they schools, homes or offices are dependent on how much energy is used and members were provided with a brief outline of the methodology used for emissions calculations based on energy usage. The aim is to be able to evidence the difference which energy efficient buildings such as the new extension to Ysgol y Graig (making it the first operationally net zero carbon school on Anglesey), make in terms of reducing and/or eliminating carbon emissions. The availability of good data means that questions can be posed and comparisons made in a way that was not previously possible and is an essential tool in enabling progress to be measured in reducing carbon emissions.
· The impact of energy efficient measures such as the installation of solar panels on energy consumption and subsequently on the emissions data.
The Committee was advised that energy produced by solar panels will be reflected in the data but that the system needs refining to be able to show the exact amount generated by this source so as to evidence the impact of solar panels on a building’s energy use. As quarterly reporting becomes routine it is anticipated that it will be possible to obtain the evidence to demonstrate the benefits of solar energy and other such measures in terms of reducing energy usage and carbon emissions.
· Whether new Council buildings are net zero and if so, how are their effectiveness measured.
The Committee was advised that the Ysgol y Graig new extension will be an operational net zero building and as such will not produce any carbon emissions when in use. This will be evidenced by measuring energy use and the amount of carbon emissions removed from the atmosphere as a result of the building. Technology embedded within the building ensures the lowest possible energy use from the grid. New housing developments by the Housing Service are constructed to EPCA and/or Passive House standards and their effectiveness is assessed by meter readings from the use of the buildings.
· It was confirmed that the Committee would be provided with annual updates on the progress towards net zero so that the Members can be shown the positive effects of the investments made and the developments that have taken place in that time.
It was resolved to note the information presented.