Leading by example - reducing our carbon footprint

Plans to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the council’s Rowan House offices have been boosted by a £527,000 grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to install a state-of-the-art heating and ventilation system and new LED lighting.

The installation of the energy-efficient air source heat pump powered by electricity is at the heart of the project helping to further support our commitment to protecting the environment, made through our climate emergency declaration in 2019. The grant will enable us to undertake the work at no additional cost to the city’s taxpayers.

When the improvements have been made, they will generate even more savings for the council.

The pump will replace the building’s current boilers and has a much lower carbon footprint than gas. This will be combined with a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system, which will improve ventilation and uses warm air from inside the building to pre-heat cooler air entering from outside, which will reduce the amount of energy needed.

Roof insulation will also be installed to reduce heat loss – while a new building management system will provide a constant temperature and help ensure the air source heat pump is used efficiently.

Energy-efficient LED lights will also be installed which will help our reduce electricity consumption. It is expected the new heating system will save an estimated 108.7 tonnes of CO2e and the LED lighting 30.9 tonnes of CO2e, per annum.

This work brings us closer to achieving our aim of becoming net carbon zero by 2030 and is an example of how others could help protect the environment and reduce their own carbon footprints.