§ Mr. RostTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the level to which the public sector is taking advantage of private sector energy efficiency management services and third-party financing for energy efficiency investment; and if he will make a statement on progress.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIn taking forward the energy efficiency campaign on the Government estate where Departments are working towards achieving 15 per cent. savings in their energy bills over the next five years, my Energy Efficiency Office employed an energy efficiency management services company to assist Departments in the preparation of their energy strategies. The majority of Departments continue to seek advice from Property Holdings and the Property Services Agency on energy efficiency initiatives, but a number have also commissioned advice from private sector companies.
I understand that a number of Government Departments are presently considering whether third-party financing is a suitable option for their estates. I also understand that certain authorities and local authorities have entered into contracts for third-party financing.
§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what specific measures his Department has taken to promote energy efficiency; what further measures his Department intends to take to promote energy efficiency; and by what amount and what percentage of its total energy bill his Department's energy bill has been reduced over the past year.
§ Mr. Wakeham[pursuant to the reply, 24 January 1991, c. 276–77]: The table and explanatory footnotes show how effectively the main Government Departments used energy in their HQ type offices for the period April to September 1990.
The league table and performance ratios are an important part of the Government estate campaign where all Departments are working towards achieving savings of 15 per cent. of their energy bill over the next five years.
594W
Department Performance Ratio Position Welsh Office 0.750 1 Lord Chancellor's Department 0.790 2 Scottish Office 0.830 3 Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 0.860 4 Energy 0.920 5 Education and Science 0.920 5 Employment 0.950 7
Department Performance Ratio Position Home Office 1.010 8 Ministry of Defence 1.050 9 Environment 1.070 10 National Savings 1.090 11 Inland Revenue 1.120 12 Customs and Excise 1.130 13 Health 1.150 14 Northern Ireland Office 1.189 15 Transport 1.192 16 Trade and Industry 1.210 17 Foreign Office 1290 18 Treasury 1.440 19 Social Security 1.450 20 Notes:
1. The league table of performance is based on Departments' main(HQ) office buildings. In some cases this represents only a small percentage of a Department's energy consumption. Some Departments have calculated their performance indicators using partly estimated data.
2. The performance indicators and yardsticks for these offices are expressed in cost terms using average 1990 prices, ie 6p/KWh for electricity and I -25p/KWh for all fossil fuels.
3. Yardsticks for these offices are as follows:
April-September £ Annual £ Naturally ventilated offices 2.50/m2 7.70/m2 Air conditioned office 7–00/m2 15–50/m2 Computer suites 70.00/m2 140.00/m2 4. A building's energy consumption is adjusted where applicable for regional variations in climate and annual weather differences, divided by floor area and then divided by the appropriate yardstick to obtain its cost performance indicator. A department's overall Performance Ratio is obtained by adding together all its buildings' performance indicators (which are weighted according to respective consumption).