To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the annual report on performance against Greening Government commitments will (a) for each department exclude (i) changes in energy use caused wholly or mainly by changes in the weather and (ii) carbon savings from closure of buildings or offices where they continue to be used either by government or by another occupier for whatever purpose and (b) provide information on the number and proportion of (A) central and (B) local government buildings that meet the requirements for Display Energy certificates; on what date the 2014 annual report will be published; and if she will make a statement.
Answered on
21 October 2014
The Annual Report of Government’s 2013-14 performance against the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) will be published later this year. The GGC framework applies to the estate and operations of central government departments and their arms’ length bodies in England; local government entities are not in scope. It will report government’s performance as a whole, and for each reporting department, against each of the GGC targets.
Energy consumption data reported by departments against the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2015 is not weather-corrected and carbon savings are not attributed to specific building closures or changes of use or occupants. The annual report will however set out case studies and examples of good practice showing what measures departments have taken to achieve those savings. If changes of use or occupants occurs within the Government estate this will be reflected in the data. However, the data will not reflect the carbon impacts of the use of buildings transferring to use or occupancy outside the Government estate.
The report will not include the number and proportion of government buildings that meet the requirements for Display Energy Certificates because the number of certificates is not covered by the Greening Government Commitments reporting standards framework and Departments are therefore not required to report on this aspect.