Environmental drive sees huge savings at Cheshire East

 

Cheshire East Council has made savings of £5.7m as a result of investing in energy-efficiency measures and reducing its office accommodation from 44 sites to six.

In 2008, Cheshire East started a carbon management programme with a view to reducing their carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2016.

The programme has been a huge success and the target was exceeded comfortably with the Council achieving 42 per cent savings.

The Council has invested in energy-efficient measures, including new boilers, advanced heating controls, insulation, voltage optimisation, high-frequency lighting complete with controls, variable-speed drives, swimming pool covers and many other minor improvements.

These measures had a return on investment in less than three years and led to significant improvements in consumption levels in Council buildings.

To give an indication of the impact that the review has had: emissions at Congleton Leisure Centre were originally more than 800 tonnes per year in 2010. Six years later that figure has almost halved to 470 tonnes per year.

Seven individual zones have been created as part of the new heating control system in the old town hall in Macclesfield, which now adjust the temperature of the building according to weather conditions – reducing running costs by seven per cent.

At Delamere House, in Crewe, a new heating system has reduced the building’s gas consumption by 49 per cent.

At Cheshire East’s headquarters in Sandbach, energy-efficiency measures have led to a 32 per cent saving on electricity as the authority’s usage has reduced from 804,400 kWh to less than 544,000.

Councillor Peter Groves, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for finance and assets said, “In the last eight years, we have improved energy efficiency in all of our buildings. Historically there were instances where we could have used energy more appropriately and, thanks in large part to this review, we are continuing to put plans in place to do so.

“By reducing the running costs of the Council’s buildings, the financial savings can be used to support frontline services.”

Cheshire East Council is continuing its drive towards improving its carbon footprint and realising the objectives set out in its corporate plan 2016-20.