HC Deb 24 January 1991 vol 184 cc296-7W
Mr. Pendry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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.

Mrs. Rumbold

The Department's initiatives have focused on the prison estate. Energy efficiency has been promoted on the estate in the following ways:

  • the use of low-energy light units;
  • the use of high-frequency light units;
  • improved insulation of distribution pipework;
  • the installation of decentralised boiler systems using gas;
  • the use of automatic controls for lighting;
  • the introduction of building management systems;
  • water surveys;
  • energy surveys;
  • improved heat distribution;
  • building insulation;
  • the use of low-energy equipment;
  • the use of fuel additives;
  • waste-derived fuel trials;
  • zone control of heating;
  • the use of condensing boilers; and
  • the use of workshop heating controls.

Reductions in energy bills have resulted from tariff analysis, maximum demand analysis and power factor reduction.

Future measures will include the following: the evaluation of combined heat and power systems and of waste gas fuel; considering the use of contract energy management; staff training; and equipment evaluation and testing.

The energy bill for the prison estate was reduced from £19.43 million in 1988–89 to £19.2 million in 1989–90, a reduction of 1.2 per cent. despite an increase of 2.5 per cent. in the size of the estate.

We intend to introduce a programme of similar measures in non-prison estate buildings in 1991–92. It is not possible to provide the information requested on costs in respect of those buildings, because the Department has been billed directly for its use of energy in them since April 1990.