The 20x16 plan
Bolton at Home’s Environmental
Sustainability Strategy
2012 – 2016
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Contents
1. Introduction
2. Environmental sustainability strategy
3. Emissions baseline and projections
4. The Carbon Hierarchy
5. Environmental sustainability programme
6. Funding for environmental sustainability
7. Actions to embed environmental sustainability in Bolton at Home
8. Review and evaluation
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1. Introduction
20x16 isn’t a mathematical sum.
And it isn’t the dimensions of a photograph or a room.
It’s a plan to achieve a 20% saving in our carbon emissions by 2016
The 20x16 plan: Bolton at Home’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy
This is Bolton at Home’s first Environmental Sustainability Strategy. It sets out our approach
towards environmental sustainability and identifies the key actions we are taking to reduce
our carbon emissions and the impact of our business. It details our carbon emissions and
establishes a baseline against which the effects of our actions can be measured. Our
environmental sustainability programme covers a 4 year framework (2012 – 2016) and will
include regular monitoring and annual reviews to assess and report on our progress. This
strategy aims to provide a flexible framework which supports Bolton at Home in responding
both to the changing pace of our sector and of environmental change.
What is environmental sustainability?
Environmental sustainability is about environmental protection and sustained economic
growth and social equity. It is a concept which deals with our impact on the environment
and how we balance this with economic and social wellbeing. ‘Meeting the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ is
an often quoted definition for environmental sustainability. Many developed countries,
including the UK, are leading lifestyles which require three planets worth of resources to
support. We only have one planet and so we need to live within our means.
Environmental sustainability programs include actions to reduce the use of physical
resources, the adoption of a ‘recycle everything and buy recycled’ approach, the use of
renewable, rather than depletable resources, the redesign of production processes and
products to eliminate the production of toxic materials, and the protection and restoration of
natural habitats and environments.
At the personal or household level, there are a host of actions that people can take to
contribute to environmental sustainability at home, at work, when travelling or accessing
goods and services, or when acting as a community member. Some useful examples
include living close to work where possible and walking, using a bike or using public
transport. These are good options to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases. But if
these options are not possible then using an efficient vehicle can also cut greenhouse gases
and petrol consumption. Building or renovating a house using environmentally sound
design, lower impact materials and 5+ star appliances can make a big impact on all
environmental issues. Installing a low flow shower and low flush toilet can save water.
Buying products made of recycled materials will generally save materials and energy, cut
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greenhouse gases and toxic pollution and reduce impacts on living things in the wild. Using
food in season or food which is organically grown and locally sourced can cut impacts from
chemicals, save energy and reduce greenhouse gases. Involving and supporting community
groups can help with practical projects that improve our environmental sustainability.
Our key achievements to date
Prior to developing this strategy we have already been working on several environmental
projects and energy reduction initiatives. Bolton at Home, together with our partners at
Bolton Council and Bolton Community Homes (BCH), have already achieved a great deal in
terms of environmental sustainability.
Our key achievements to date include the following.
We have developed new homes at Hamilton Court which meet Level 4 of the Code for
Sustainable Homes, the highest sustainability rating of any residential dwellings built in
Bolton. The homes feature a range of sustainability features including a closed panel
timber frame system, thermal solar hot water panels, PV panels, sustainably sourced
timber, a communal allotment area and rain water collection butts.
All our homes met the Decent Homes standard by March 2008 and work is ongoing to
make sure the standard continues to be met. During the past 5 years Bolton at Home
has replaced over 14 000 heating systems as part of the Decent Homes programme.
SAP ratings for Bolton at Home properties have continued to increase and the current
average SAP rating is 68. To date, Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) have been
produced for over 2 500 properties.
The Technology Strategy Board has awarded us £134k to retrofit one of our existing
homes. The project will see us implementing home energy efficiency solutions to
significantly reduce carbon emissions and save money on fuel bills for its residents. We
will work with the Energy Saving Trust to collect data from the retrofitted house and
promote the benefits to others.
We have installed an energy efficient biomass boiler at Paderborn Court and since 2007
we have replaced 18 communal boilers with new, more energy efficient technology.
Solar thermal panels have been installed at 10 of our communal heating schemes.
Air source heat pumps have been fitted at Greenbank and we are developing further
similar schemes.
A photovoltaic (PV) system has been installed at Halliwell UCAN Centre.
Bolton’s Affordable Warmth Strategy is being implemented successfully in partnership
with Bolton Council and is addressing affordable warmth and fuel poverty issues across
both the public and private sector. A new scheme has recently been launched, in
partnership with British Gas, which offers free home insulation measures to all private
sector residents of Bolton, regardless of age or income.
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An affinity scheme was established with Scottish and Southern Energy as part of their
legal obligation to invest in community energy projects. The scheme generated over
£100k to be spent on energy saving projects and initiatives for tenants.
HOOT, Bolton’s Credit Union, has introduced a new green loan scheme to help
customers keep warm and save money. The initiative enables customers to borrow
money at a low rate of interest in order to make their home more energy efficient. The
loan can be used to pay for home improvements and the purchase of energy efficient
appliances.
We have delivered a number of energy efficiency and Keep Warm Keep Well events for
customers together with Bolton Council, Bolton NHS and the Energy Saving Trust.
A customer training session on energy efficiency has been launched as part of our
comprehensive customer training programme.
Our customer conference took place in October 2010 and featured workshops and
displays on energy efficiency, fuel poverty and climate change issues.
We have developed a Clean and Green Award as part of our Stars of the Community
award scheme. The award recognises individuals and groups who have helped to
improve the environmental appearance or sustainability of their neighbourhood.
Our Neighbourhood Management Teams support and deliver a wide range of
community initiatives including allotment schemes at Red Lane and Little Lever, food
growing projects at Ash Grove and Sabden Yard, and environmental improvement
projects throughout the borough.
We have supported a number of groundbreaking sustainability projects including The
Green House Project and the FAB Van, which delivers fresh fruit and vegetables to
customers.
We work in partnership on environmental and sustainability initiatives with a number of
organisations such as The Energy Saving Trust, Groundwork and the Lancashire
Wildlife Trust.
Our new team of Junior Green Inspectors has been launched to complement and
enhance the success of our existing team of green inspectors.
We are in the process of upgrading our ICT systems. We have installed more energy
efficient PCs, printers and photocopiers and have installed computer software which
ensures that all PCs are automatically shut down at the end of each day.
We have introduced optitime, a software programme which improves the rescheduling
and routing of our repair work, and has led to a 12.5% reduction in our fuel
consumption.
We have replaced all the filtered water bottle dispensers in our offices with bottle less
water coolers.
The Technical Services directorate has made good progress in the greening of the
organisations supply chain, expanding their recycled waste management services and
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developing a copper separation scheme with contractors. Contractors providing
services worth over £250k are required to be EMS accredited.
The Pedometer Challenge in October 2010 encouraged and inspired members of staff
to walk more. 19 teams took part and almost 1000 miles were walked during the 4
week challenge.
We participated in Climate Week 2011 which aimed to shine a spotlight on the many
positive steps already being taken in workplaces and communities across Britain.
Thousands of events were run by organisations from every part of society, highlighting
the many positive steps already being taken, to inspire many more people to act.
Bolton at Home developed a programme of activities that took place during the week
including participation in the national challenge event, staff and customer workshops
and site visits, as well as increased promotion of our progress to date.
Bolton at Home is a key partner in the I Love Bolton scheme which supports and
develops volunteer networks of “green champions” to help ensure Bolton is doing all it
can to cut its carbon footprint, reduce its energy bills and promote a more sustainable
town.
Bolton Community Homes exceeds the target for 80% of all new developments to be
on brownfield sites and meets the Code for Sustainable Homes requirements.
In addition, Bolton at Home, together with Bolton Council, has a policy of procuring 100%
green electricity from renewable sources for all of its building stock. This has reduced the
total carbon emissions from energy use by 33% compared to 1998/9. There are several
advantages of buying green energy: the financial savings by not having to pay the Climate
Change Levy, a reduction in carbon emissions, the generation of positive publicity within the
community and a demonstration of community leadership.
Reducing our carbon emissions by 20% by 2016 to achieve our 20x16 target will result in
significant financial savings. But it will be a challenge.
And the answer isn’t 320.
2. Environmental sustainability strategy
2.1
Context and drivers for environmental sustainability
Climate change
Greenhouse gases, of which 86% in the UK is CO2, are largely caused by human activities.
Based on current trends, global emissions could reach double pre-industrial levels by 2035,
causing a global average temperature rise of over 2 degrees celsius.
Estimates show that almost one third of all carbon emissions within the UK come from
domestic housing – their energy use, the resources they use and the waste they produce.
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Housing has significant impacts on our environment due to low energy efficiency, lack of
maintenance, high levels of non recycled waste, poor methods of construction and
refurbishment, lack of renewable energy sources, high energy usage, an unsustainable
supply chain and a lack of sustainable infrastructure.
The majority of our existing housing stock will still be in use in the future and requires
significant improvement. There are nearly five million affordable homes in the UK and almost
all of them will need to be upgraded to dramatically improve their environmental
performance over the next decade.
However, behaviour change case studies have demonstrated that the installation of physical
efficiency measures alone, such as efficient heating systems, double glazing, draught
proofing and insulation, does not necessarily reduce energy use. It is therefore essential that
physical efficiency measures are complemented by a robust and effective customer
engagement and education programme. A carbon reduction plan, and in particular a
domestic retrofit programme, is unlikely to achieve its aims without the positive engagement
and participation of the customer. Estimates indicate that customer behaviour can
contribute up to 30% as a factor in determining whether or not carbon emissions are
reduced. Action to encourage households to change behaviour is therefore an essential
component in reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption in the home, particularly
when linked to physical retrofit.
The Behaviour Change Group of the Housing Retrofit Programme of Greater Manchester
Low Carbon Economic Area recently launched a report, The Missing Quarter, exploring
behaviour change. The report concludes that action to encourage households to change
energy consumption behaviour should be an essential part of any carbon reduction
strategy. The report sets out a number of key recommendations aimed at decision makers
and project delivery organisations linked with Greater Manchester’s housing retrofit
programmes.
Case study: Relish™
The Relish™ programme is designed and delivered by Worthing Homes who
manage over 30 000 homes. The programme has demonstrated that improved
behaviour and a change of lifestyle can achieve significant reductions in carbon
emissions.
The pilot programme carried out retrofit measures to a number of homes, at a cost of
£6 500 per home, together with a bespoke package of energy advice and customer
engagement. The results of the pilot programme highlight that the delivery of a
combined works and education package is far more successful in reducing energy
use and fuel bills than physical works alone. During phase 1 of the pilot programme
families who had received works and education achieved the most savings, followed
by families who had received education but no works, and then families who had
received works but no education.
Reducing natural resources
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When half of a total resource has been used up the costs of extraction rapidly escalate and
the risks associated with extraction also rapidly increase. The halfway point is called "peak"
because extraction always follows a bell-shaped curve. Our planets supplies of oil, coal,
uranium, natural gas, and many other natural resources are at or near "peak."
Peak oil does not mean that oil is running out but that we can’t extract it any faster and
therefore we will not be able to continue to extract it at the same rate, and sell it at the
same price, as we do now. If global demand continues to increase we will not be able to
extract more oil per day to meet this demand.
Virtually every sector of the UKs economy is still dependent on oil. If the price of oil goes up
the price of all commodities dependent on oil, including essentials such as food and
heating, will rise. ‘The era of cheap oil is behind us and we must plan for a world in which oil
prices are likely to be both higher and more volatile.’ UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and
Energy Security
Legislation and Government Policy
The current coalition government claims to be the ‘greenest government ever’. As a result
of the 2008 Climate Change Act the government itself has an obligation to reduce carbon
emissions within the UK by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Under this act, many large and
public sector organisations are required to participate in the new Carbon Reduction
Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme. However, this is mostly relevant for large
housing associations and those who manage care homes.
Case study: The Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office publishes its real time energy use figures online. The site shows
information about the building and a copy of its Display Energy Certificate (DEC)
together with real time information on the energy use, the energy cost and the carbon
impact. The DEC rating of the office has improved to 95 (Category D) and the
average energy cost is £ 40.30 per hour.
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National policy and UK targets:
direction of travel
_________________________________________
_____
2020: 34% reduction
in UK carbon
emissions for 1990
levels
2020: 15% of all UK
energy to come from
renewable sources
2010: Launch of Feed
in Tariff (FIT)
2011:Launch of
Renewable Heat
Incentive (RHI)
2010: 25% energy
improvement on 2005
building regulations
2013: 44% energy
improvement on 2005
building regulations
2016: All new build
schools to be zero
carbon
2013: Code for
Sustainable Homes 4
mandatory for new
private homes
2016: zero carbon
mandatory for all new
homes
2012: Green deal
financing begins
2015: All lofts and
cavities to be insulated
where practicable
2010: CRC Energy
Efficiency Scheme
begins
2018: All public new
build to be zero
carbon
2019: All private new
build to be zero
carbon
2020: Eco upgrades to
7 million homes and
smart meters in all
homes
2011: Tax on active
waste increases to £56
per tonne
Fuel poverty
The proportion of households in fuel poverty has increased significantly over recent years
and more than 20% of households are now considered to be fuel poor. Government figures
have shown a 22% rise in the number of households in fuel poverty. A household is said to
be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10 per cent of its income on fuel to
maintain an adequate level of warmth (usually defined as 21 degrees for the main living
area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms). Although the emphasis in the definition is
on heating the home, fuel costs in the definition of fuel poverty also include spending on
water heating, lights and appliance usage and cooking costs. Whether a household is in
fuel poverty or not is determined by the interaction of a number of factors including the
energy efficiency status of the property and the cost of energy.
In August 2011 British Gas, the UKs leading energy provider, increased its domestic tariffs
for gas by 18% and electricity by 16%. This represents an annual price increase of £190 for
an average family.
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All of our properties met the Decent Homes standard by March 2008 but further measures
may be needed to ensure that each home has good energy efficiency standards. Bolton at
Home therefore has an important role to play in tackling fuel poverty, and reducing our
customers energy use, by maximising the energy efficiency of our homes, engaging
customers on behaviour change issues and ensuring that our customers are aware of the
wide range of fuel tariffs that are available. A high number of our customers are on low
incomes and/or considered vulnerable and an ongoing programme of information and
action will be required to ensure that physical energy efficiency measures are supported by
advice and information for customers.
Case study: Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT)
All customers of KHT can request a free home energy audit from a team of trained
energy advisors. The team provides specific advice on how to save money on energy
bills and helps customers to switch to more appropriate fuel tariffs. KHT also produced
a booklet in the form of an energy saving wheel that showed customers how to save
money on their energy bills. Evidence shows that KHT has helped its customers to
save hundreds of pounds on energy bills as a result of these initiatives. The energy
audit project has recently been awarded funding and support from the HACT Golden
Projects Competition.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) and Great Places HA have recently launched
dedicated energy switching websites to encourage and support customers to switch to
more appropriate fuel tariffs.
Local drivers
Bolton at Home is striving to achieve homes and neighbourhoods we can all be proud of.
This environmental sustainability strategy is a key component of our corporate change
programme. It is driven by, and will support, the delivery of Bolton at Home’s 5 objectives.
Homes we can all be proud of
Neighbourhoods we can all be proud of
Putting customers first
Keeping a strong, financially viable, well governed business
Developing and growing
We want to be a community leader and exemplar organisation on the issue of
environmental sustainability. We are in a key position to lead efforts on the reduction of
carbon emissions by demonstrating a behavioural and strategic example to our staff, our
partners and contractors and the communities in which we work. We recognise that to
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become a community leader in environmental sustainability we must first take ownership of
our actions and ‘put our own house in order’.
There is an urgent need to proactively reduce our energy consumption in response to
exceptional energy price increases in recent years. Energy prices have increased by over
50% since 2004 and this trend is not expected to change in the foreseeable future. Being
more energy efficient could make considerable savings for Bolton at Home.
In 2010/11 we spent over £1m on energy, £250k on fuel for our fleet and £350k on
business travel by car. Reducing our carbon emissions by 20% would save us over £300k
per year.
2.2
Our vision for environmental sustainability
As a new organisation our vision for environmental sustainability is set out below.
To provide new and existing homes that are energy efficient, sustainably powered
and heated and use sustainably supplied materials.
To promote and raise the profile of environmental sustainability amongst our staff,
our partners and contractors and the communities in which we work.
Case study: Wakefield and District Housing
Wakefield and District Housing manages 31 000 homes and understands that this
number of people has a huge impact on the environment. Following board approval
of their Climate Change Strategy in 2008 the organisation launched a tenant
engagement plan to influence behaviour. As part of the plan, over 100 tenants
attended the annual tenant conference, whose theme was climate change, and
more than 800 attended a summer road show aimed at raising awareness of
environmental issues. The budget for the initial stages of the plan was £ 14 000 and
the organisation is now developing an accredited training programme for residents
linked to behaviour change and energy efficiency.
Wakefield and District Housing is currently developing 91 zero carbon new homes
for local residents. The 91 new homes, which are part-funded by the Homes and
Community Agency (HCA), will use a ground-breaking combination of energy
saving and carbon-reducing features that will make the new estate one of the
biggest-ever zero carbon or 'Code 6' social housing schemes in the country.
2.3
Strategic themes and priorities
Bolton at Home has identified six key areas where we can target activity and deliver real
change; increasing energy efficiency in our existing homes and operational buildings,
procurement, transport, waste, designing and building sustainable homes and promoting
sustainability.
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We have set out 9 strategic priorities as part of our environmental sustainability strategy:
Providing homes that are warm, sustainable and energy efficient
Raising awareness amongst our customers and saving them money
Achieving energy, emissions and cost savings in the buildings we occupy
Raising awareness amongst our staff
Tackling emissions in our vehicle fleet
Reducing the environmental impact of our staff travel
Making our procurement more sustainable
Reducing the environmental impact of our waste and
Embedding environmental sustainability into our business.
Case study: Calico Homes
Calico Homes in Burnley is working with British Gas on a £10m scheme to make
homes more energy efficient. The scheme is being delivered under the Community
Saving Energy Programme (CESP) which will see 90 000 homes across the country
receive whole house makeovers and save families around £ 300 per year. Almost
1000 flats, terraced houses, bungalows and semi detached houses owned by Calico
Homes will receive a range of energy efficiency measures including solid wall
insulation, replacement boilers and controls, loft top ups, draught proofing and home
energy packs. Customers will benefit from lower fuel bills and warmer homes
following the improvements.
(CESP is a joint initiative between the government, energy suppliers and power
generators to help low income communities. A total of £350 million worth of energy
efficiency measures will be installed in homes throughout the UK over the next three
years.)
Targets
Bolton at Home will reduce the carbon emissions from its activities by 20%, from the
2010/11 baseline, by 2016.
Bolton at Home will achieve a bronze rating from the SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index for
Tomorrow) assessment scheme by 2012 and a silver rating by 2016.
(SHIFT is the standard by which affordable housing providers prove their environmental
performance. The index benchmarks performance in mitigating and adapting to climate
change and the scheme has been formally recognised through the Homes and
Communities Agency (HCA) recognition scheme. Sustainable Homes developed SHIFT in
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partnership with the Tenants Services Authority, Homes and Communities Agency, WWF,
Bank of Scotland Corporate and the UK Green Building Council. SHIFT was launched in
2008 with 16 founder members. The founder members committed to benchmarking and
leading on reducing their environmental impacts. Membership has now more than doubled
to 37 members, managing over one million homes. Current members include Gentoo,
Riverside, Harvest, Great Places, Wakefield and District Housing, Sanctuary, Affinity Sutton,
Regenda and KHT.)
Case study: South Tyneside Housing
South Tyneside Housing commissioned an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for
its head office and set itself a target of improving the rating by one band each year.
3. Emissions baseline and projections
3.1
Scope
The scope for this baseline includes emissions released as a result of our operations and
services. It covers the emission sources that we can influence and that are released into the
atmosphere through our direct or indirect functions.
For the purpose of this strategy we have used the NI185 carbon assessment tool and data
prepared by Bolton Council for the financial year 2010/11 to form a baseline of carbon
emissions.
The information that was used to set the baseline includes energy data for our operational
buildings and services, mileage from our vehicle fleet and staff business travel by car.
Emissions from the provision of lighting and heating to customers with a communal energy
supply, such as sheltered housing schemes and flats with shared communal spaces, is
included but emissions from homes with an individual energy supply are excluded.
Staff travel by rail and air is excluded as this information is not currently available.
Staff commuting has not been included as this is not recorded.
At present we do not record waste collected from each operational building individually.
Case study: Solihull Community Housing
In 2008 Solihull Community Housing renewed the green credentials of its vehicle
fleet with advice from the Energy Saving Trust. A new specification was
developed to include a mix of vehicle types, including electric and hybrids as well
as traditional petrol and diesel, speed restrictors and training for drivers. Targets
were also established to reduce the fleets environmental footprint over a 2 year
period resulting in a saving of 16 000 litres of fuel and £ 16 000 in fuel costs.
3.2
Baseline
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The baseline emissions have been arrived at using data from 2010/11.
The energy data used in forming the baseline has been extracted from Bolton Councils
Energy Management database. Bolton at Home has access to this database and will
continue to use it for monitoring and recording our energy use until April 2012, when the
arrangements will be reviewed. In the majority of cases bills have been based on estimated
readings. Whilst this provides adequate baseline information for this strategy, and for
forecasting and target setting, we recognise that we need to establish accurate meter
readings, using automated meter reading technology where possible. In addition, the gross
internal area for our operational properties was not available and therefore could not be
included in the baseline data. Improvements in the data for individual buildings and sites will
enable better reporting in the future. Utility bills are centrally managed and monitored but
there are substantial opportunities for improvement in the level of proactive analysis.
The vehicle fleet information is recorded using the mileage from each vehicle and the litres
of fuel used.
Staff mileage is recorded within the payroll section. It will be necessary to review our
administration systems in order to develop data for business travel by rail and air.
Carbon emissions for the baseline year 2010/11 are;
Operational buildings and
communal lighting and heating
Fleet transport
Staff business travel
________________________________
Total
All figures are CO2 tonnes.
6441
648
119
7208
Breakdown of carbon emissions
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Case study: Sanctuary HA
Sanctuary’s office in London incorporates a range of energy efficient measures
including sensory lighting, sun tubes, a heat recovery system, high efficiency heating
boilers, low consumption sanitary fittings and solar reflective film on south facing
windows. The office has secured an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of 29
(Category B).
3.3
Projections
The projected costs for the business as usual scenario have been calculated using the
NI185 carbon assessment tool. It shows the expected rise in costs to 2016 from the base
year, with overall costs starting at £1.3m.
The business as usual scenario assumes that we do nothing to reduce the existing trends in
energy use within the organisation and takes account of industry expected prices increases.
This leads to a projected increase in energy costs to £2m by 2016.
Case study: Cross Keys Homes
Cross Keys Homes, who manages 10 000 homes, has considerably reduced its
energy consumption. The organisation managed to achieve a 41% reduction in gas
consumption through replacing the head office roof, cavity wall insulation and installing
a more efficient boiler. It achieved a 31% reduction in electricity consumption through
the introduction of sensory lighting, replacing fluorescent tubes with more efficient
lighting and replacing inefficient air conditioning units. It also achieved a 49% saving
on paper by installing a more efficient printer system. The organisation has published
ambitious targets of achieving an A rating for the energy efficiency of their offices by
2015, reducing water consumption by 20% by 2012 and recycling 65% of waste by
2020.
4. The Carbon Hierarchy
The Carbon Hierarchy, developed by Forum for the Future, helps organisations to consider
carbon management activities in the correct order; from the most to the least preferred
option.
INSERT CARBON HIERARCHY DIAGRAM
The hierarchy is intended to prompt organisations to consider the actions that will have the
most transformative and lasting impact on their emissions baseline, and prioritises the
avoidance of emissions, their reduction through energy efficiency, and the replacement of
high carbon energy sources with low or zero-carbon alternatives as the preferred means for
an organisation to address their contribution to climate change. Carbon offsetting, whilst a
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valuable tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is placed at the bottom of the
hierarchy on the basis that it does not directly reduce a company’s emissions baseline.
When an organisation wants to reduce its carbon emissions the first option to consider is to
use less energy. In many cases this is the simplest and most effective way to reduce carbon
emissions. There are two ways we can reduce energy, by avoiding energy use and by being
more energy efficient. Often, avoiding or reducing energy use is about changing behaviour
and can be achieved through a range of policies, economic and social drivers and
education.
Having reduced energy use, by avoiding energy intensive activities and being more efficient,
the next step is to look at obtaining energy from renewable and low carbon sources. The
third step is to see how energy generation and production losses might be minimised and
the final layer involves carbon storage and carbon offsetting.
(Founded in 1996, Forum for the Future is an independent, non-profit organisation with a
mission to promote sustainable development. The organisation helps companies and public
sector bodies understand sustainable development, and shares the results of its work
widely so that organisations all over the world can develop products and services which are
environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable.)
Case study: Sandwell Homes
Sandwell Homes chose 5 eco champions from 50 tenants who applied to take part in
the scheme. Each champion agreed to reduce their carbon footprint by taking on
several challenges including reducing the waste they create, increasing recycling and
reducing energy use. As well as regular meetings the champions have been on a
number of visits including the Centre for Alternative Technology. Working closely with
the champions, Sandwell Homes created a new Going Green website to raise
awareness of green issues and share experiences. The champions were also given
free training in using social media, to raise awareness of green issues, and their Twitter
site has almost 300 followers within the community.
5. Environmental sustainability programme
Our detailed environmental sustainability programme is currently being developed.
A private SHIFT assessment of Bolton at Homes environmental performance was recently
carried out and provides an overview of our performance against the SHIFT index. Bolton at
Home scored 31.57 points out of a scale of 100, where 100 represents best practice. This
would place us in the bronze rating if this had been a public assessment.
The report summarises our strengths, provides some recommendations on areas not yet
addressed and highlights areas for further development. Comparison of the 2010 SHIFT
survey average scores highlights that we have performed well in a number of areas
including;
active communication with residents
communication on sustainable behaviours at work
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energy efficiency improvements to existing stock
high percentage of waste generated by refurbishing existing stock is either
reused or recycled
over 15% of stock has had a feasibility study for the installation of
microgeneration systems and properties have been built to code level 4.
A copy of Bolton at Homes SHIFT survey 2010/11 gap analysis is attached to this strategy
as Appendix A.
Reducing our carbon emissions by 20% by 2016 will require us to save over 1500 tonnes of
carbon. Installing photovoltaic panels at Maxton House will save us 131 tonnes of carbon
per year. Installing photovoltaic panels at Greenbank would save us a further 579 tonnes
per year.
A copy of our strategic action plan is attached to this strategy as Appendix B.
6. Actions to embed environmental sustainability in
Bolton at Home
Corporate strategy - embedding environmental sustainability
We recognise that our goal to become a community leader and exemplar organisation on
the issue of environmental sustainability will involve a large scale change to our existing
practice and policy. Our approach to the engagement of stakeholders aims to ensure that
the ethos of environmental sustainability is effectively embedded across the organisation.
We will do this by;
Gaining senior manager support for our environmental sustainability strategy
Communicating with staff, partners, contractors and customers
Identifying key individuals, champions and groups who could help to deliver our
environmental sustainability programme
Highlighting the costs of doing nothing
Empowering our managers to take action
Identifying and delivering quick wins in terms of environmental sustainability
Ensuring that the required changes are incorporated into our culture and our systems
Case study: Sandwell Homes
Sandwell Homes featured on the Sunday Times Green List in 2009 and 2010 and was
the first ALMO to implement an Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
Participation in these initiatives has raised the profile of environmental sustainability
issues throughout the organisation and enhanced the profile and reputation of the
organisation at a national level.
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Programme management – bringing it all together
For this environmental strategy to succeed it will need strong leadership at the highest level
and ownership from everyone that is involved in delivering our services. Chief Officers,
senior managers and key officers were involved in the development of this strategy and
programme, including the Directors of Regeneration and Technical Services.
Responsibility for the strategic ownership of this strategy and programme rests with the
Director of Regeneration and the Board Regeneration Champion.
A cross directorate project group has been established to deliver the projects and initiatives
described in this strategy and to monitor the programme. The group comprises of key
managers and officers from across Bolton at Home, together with representatives from key
partners. The group meets every 8 weeks and is chaired by the Director of Regeneration
and facilitated by the Research and Strategy Officer.
Case study: Accord HA
Accord has an Environmental Improvement Team consisting of 35 people from across
the group. The team has co-ownership of the environmental agenda, is popular with
well attended meetings and has representatives from all levels of the business. Each
department has an action plan and there are dedicated champions for specific issues.
Responsibility – being clear that everyone is responsible
In order for this strategy to succeed we need to reinforce the message that all our staff have
a role to play in helping our organisation to improve its environmental sustainability and
reduce carbon emissions.
The delivery of this programme will need to become an integral part of the ‘day job’ for staff
across all directorates. Including environmental sustainability in the staff induction
programme and annual staff training programme will be an important part of embedding
this issue throughout the organisation. We will also develop a proactive communication
strategy and education programme for all staff.
Case study: Great Places HA
Great Places HA introduced a Green Gang to help it develop and deliver projects which
reduce the environmental impact of the organisation. All members of staff are eligible to
join the Green Gang and the scheme is promoted in the staff newsletter, on poster
campaigns in toilets throughout the organisation and via a prominent advert on the
intranet, which changes every 2 months. The Green Gang focus on specific issues for a
3 month period and the recent campaign on reducing energy use included a switch it off
campaign, the distribution of free energy saving equipment and the roll out of energy
efficient lighting. The newly installed LED lighting uses 60% less energy than the old
fluorescent lighting tubes. The Green Gang has also focussed on waste, which included
detailed monitoring of the organisations recycling rates and landfill rates, and water,
which involved weekly and monthly monitoring of water meters and the installation of
water hippos and flow restrictors. All savings from such projects and initiatives are
invested in a specific budget which is used to fund further projects.
18
The organisation has also introduced a 5p per mile mileage allowance for staff who cycle
at work and provides free breakfasts for staff who walk/ cycle/ use public transport or car
share on their journeys to and from work.
We recognise that all our projects and services have an impact on environmental
sustainability. We are therefore looking to embed environmental sustainability within our
impact assessment processes for all projects, service reviews and policy developments.
Senior managers will take the lead in ensuring that this strategy and programme is
embedded within directorate business plans across all service areas.
A small number of staff have already volunteered to act as environmental sustainability
champions for their service area and the expansion of this initiative, linked to the I Love
Bolton scheme, will play a crucial role in the successful delivery of this strategy and
programme.
Communication and training – ensuring everyone is aware
We believe that effective and timely communications will be key to the successful delivery of
this strategy and programme and we will therefore need specialist support from our
communications and marketing team. Our marketing and communication strategy is
currently being developed but the following highlights some of the stakeholders who will be
included and the media that we will use to deliver key messages;
Board members and chief officers – progress reports, learning events and the annual
report
Managers and staff – staff briefings, staff newsletters, intranet campaigns and training
Key partners and contractors – online information and learning events
Customers – Opening Doors, online information, social media and the annual report.
7. Finding for environmental
Reducing our carbon emissions by 20% could save us over £300k per year.
Our environmental sustainability programme will be resourced from a range of different
budgets and funding mechanisms.
These include;
Bolton at Home’s Capital Investment Budget
Between 2011 and 2016 Bolton at Home’s capital investment budget will be £124million.
This budget will be used to continue our extensive refurbishment programme and meet our
commitments to customers.
19
Of the £124million, £2.5million will be specifically allocated to the delivery of stock wide
improvements including initiatives and projects which meet the targets and objectives
described in this strategy and programme.
The priorities for this budget will be discussed and determined by the cross directorate
project group described above.
Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP)
CESP is a joint initiative between the government, energy suppliers and power generators
to help low income communities. The programme targets ‘hard to treat’ properties in
defined areas of deprivation and will see a total of £350 million worth of energy efficiency
measures installed in homes throughout the UK.
Bolton at Home is currently working with British Gas to investigate the potential for CESP
schemes.
20
CESP funding will not be available after April 2012.
Partnership arrangements
Bolton at Home has an existing affinity arrangement with British Gas to provide energy for
all empty properties. We will review this arrangement to ensure that the maximum benefits
are obtained for the organisation and our customers.
Case study: Dundee City Council
Dundee City Council has established Preferred Supplier Arrangements with Scottish
and Southern Energy (SSE) for the supply of gas and electricity to empty and newly
connected Council properties. The scheme went live in January 2001 and the
Council entered into a second, three year contract with SSE in January 2004. SSE
pays a commission payment to the Council for every new customer signed up. A
loyalty payment is also made each year that a tenant remains as an SSE customer
following the initial signing. The income is used to provide grant funded energy
efficiency measures for those in greatest need and a free energy advice service for
all tenants. At the time of the review a forecast indicated that Dundee City Council
would receive income of £70,000 per year over the three years (from a housing
stock of 14,000 properties).
Feed In Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentive
Feed In Tariffs (FITs) have been introduced by the government to help increase the level of
renewable energy in the UK towards our legally binding target of 15% of total energy
obtained from renewable sources by 2020.
Feed in Tariffs provide payments to energy users for the renewable electricity they generate.
This includes individual households, businesses, landlords and schools. It is also possible
for communities to join together to build their own community renewable energy generation
schemes.
The current tariffs are guaranteed for up to 25 years and are index linked. However, the
level of tariffs will reduce from April 2012.
A similar scheme has recently been launched by the government for the generation of
renewable heat using biomass boilers, air and ground heat source pumps and solar thermal
panels.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the first financial scheme of its kind in the world to
subsidise low carbon heating and aims to reduce our carbon emissions by 44m tonnes
over the next decade.
21
The subsidy will provide an average rate of return of 12% and is available to businesses,
public sector organisations and householders. However, the subsidies will be reviewed over
time and are likely to be reduced as the cost of technology comes down.
Bolton at Home is currently investigating the potential use of these tariffs and subsidies and
aims to develop a comprehensive retrofit programme to maximise the benefits for the
organisation and our customers.
The Green Deal
The Green Deal was set out in the government’s recent Energy Bill and will establish a
framework to enable businesses to offer energy efficiency improvements to homes,
community spaces and businesses at no upfront cost, and recoup payments through a
charge in installments on the energy bill.
The Green Deal represents a significant opportunity for businesses and the government has
confirmed that social landlords will be eligible to become accredited Green Deal providers,
potentially providing a source of new revenue. From 2012 social landlords will be able to
compete for a share of a £7 billion a year private sector market by financing and delivering
energy efficiency measures in 26 million existing homes. This could be through partnering
an energy company, offering services to the private rented sector or through distributing
information.
Bolton at Home is currently investigating and pursuing the opportunities that will be
available to social landlords who become accredited Green Deal providers from 2012. The
recent restructure within the Regeneration Directorate enables us to be ideally placed to
dedicate a specific, specialist resource to the development and delivery of this initiative.
External funding opportunities
Bolton at Home will continue to utilise all available opportunities to secure external funding.
Bolton at Home budgets
A number of existing Bolton at Home budgets will contribute towards the delivery of this
programme. These include budgets that are managed by the Asset Management Team,
Neighbourhood Management Teams, the Customer Involvement Team, HR and the
Communication and Marketing Team.
However, a specific environmental sustainability budget will be established from 2012 to
fund projects and initiatives that are not able to be met from any of the funding sources
described above.
The financial savings that are achieved, and income that is generated, from the projects set
out within this programme will be reinvested in the specific environmental sustainability
22
budget and used to fund new initiatives which will further reduce our carbon emissions and
the impacts of our organisation.
8. Review and evaluation
Delivery of this strategy and programme will be reviewed annually, in December of each
year, in consultation with the Director of Regeneration and the cross directorate project
group. The review will include an update on progress and updated calculations on our
carbon emissions and carbon reduction targets. The review will record financial savings,
payback on investment and carbon savings.
Progress will be reported to the Board Regeneration Champion and shared with other
stakeholders as described above. Targets will also be reviewed annually, in December of
each year.
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Appendix A: Bolton At Home SHIFT Survey 2010/11 Gap Analysis Route map to silver
Section
Current points
Current gap (i.e. additional points
that can be gained)
How?
Section 1
1.1 & 1.2 Strategy
0
1.88
1.4 Strategy availability
0
0.93
1.5 - 1.6 Executive & functional
responsibilities
0
1.16
1.7 – 1.10 Action Plan
0
3.76
1.11 Resident communication
methods
0.35
0.42
1.12 Resident communication
efficacy
0
0.93
1.14 Environmental legislation
0
0.42
1.15 Risk assessment
0
0.46
Get board approval of your
sustainability strategy; include
review dates.
Make your sustainability strategy
publicly available. E.g. place on
your website
Include sustainability objectives
across the organisation, including
executive and front line staff.
When the strategy has been
approved by the Board, progress
with action plan. Include reviews
dates and clear action targets.
Expand the use of active resident
communication methods, such
as work shops and training days.
Measure the effectiveness of your
resident communication
methods.
Identify environmental legislation
applicable to your organisation
Carry out a risk assessment
which identifies the risk of
extreme weather events resulting
from climate change, including
flood risk, drought and over
heating.
1.16 Contingency plan
0
0.47
Develop your business
24
contingency plan, which includes
measures to evacuate vulnerable
residents/employees.
Section 2
2.1 Office Environmental Plan
0
1.15
2.3 Staff engagement
0
0.58
2.4 Issues communicated with
staff
0.35
0.23
2.6 Energy efficiency procedures.
Office carbon emissions.
0
1.92
2.8 Water efficiency procedures &
usage
0
1.54
2.9 & 2.10 Office waste
procedures & diversion
0
1.94
Progress with office impact plan
when the strategy has been
approved by the Board.
Develop more active
communication methods with
staff, such as workshops, training
courses, competitions and
meetings.
Extend the sustainability issues
communicated with staff to
include transport and responsible
sourcing. Document how these
issues are communicated.
Progress with plan to establish
the size of your offices in order to
calculate kgCO2/m2/year figure
procedures to measure the
amount of carbon you are
emitting for all offices by
monitoring your utility bills.
Establish procedures to monitor
water usage for all offices by
monitoring your utility bills.
Establish procedures to monitor
waste. Set a baseline, such as
how many landfill bags are
25
currently collect in the office each
week.
Carry out a staff survey to
determine the exact number of
staff that travel to and from work
by means other than a private
car.
Draw up a Responsible product
sourcing policy.
Include environmental office
standards. For example,
induction packs for new staff or
through the appraisal system.
2.12 Office travel
0
0.58
2.13 Responsible product
sourcing
2.14 Staff rules
0
1.74
0
1.73
Section 3
3.4 Staff Training
0
1.29
Carry out staff training on
sustainable materials and
maintenance practices.
3.6 Sustainable materials
0.52
2.06
3.10 Water efficiency measures
1.1
2.77
3.11 Transport options
0
3.87
3.13 Risk Assessment
0
0.65
Establish a formal procedure to
ensure that all maintenance staff
use sustainable alternatives.
Look to install water efficiency
measures to existing older
properties. E.g. include water
efficiency measures into void
work specifications.
Provide existing tenants with
address specific information,
such as public transport links and
cycle storage facilities.
Carry out a risk assessment to
existing stock from extreme
weather resulting from climate
change.
26
3.15 Ecological enhancements
0
3.87
Look to increase (and record) the
number of ecological
enhancements on existing
estates through native planting,
bird boxes etc You could carry
out a survey asking residents
what enhancements they have
made themselves and/or carry
out an ecological survey on your
estates.
Section 4
4.6 Travel Plan
0
1.25
4.8 Adaptation information
0
1.25
4.9 Risk Assessment
0
1.33
Include in the Home User Guide,
a green travel plan for residents
Include in the Home User Guide,
a section on how to adapt to
cope with extreme weather
events resulting from climate
change
Carry out a risk assessment to
include extreme weathers relating
to climate change such as
drought and overheating.
Totals
Current Points 31.57
Potential Additional points
40.18
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Appendix B
Ref
Actions to be undertaken
Lead
Officer
Start
date
End
date
Strategic Priority 1 - Providing homes that are warm, energy efficient and sustainable:
1.1
Develop a programme to retrofit existing stock
CG
Apr-11
Mar-16
1.2
Monitor and evaluate energy use at the TSB
funded retrofit house and apply learning
Investigate potential of green deal
CG
Apr-11
Apr-13
PM
Sep-11 Sep-12
Undertake comprehensive risk assessments for
future new build schemes to include flood risk,
overheating and drought risk assessments at
design stage
Look to increase (and record) the number of
ecological enhancements on existing estates
through native planting, bird boxes etc. You could
carry out a survey asking residents what
enhancements they have made themselves and/or
carry out an ecological survey on your estates.
DC
Apr-12
Mar-16
MT
Apr-12
Mar-16
1.3
1.4
1.5
Strategic Priority 2 - Raising awareness amongst our customers and saving them
money:
2.1 Review and develop advice and guidance provided VR
Apr-11 Mar-16
to customers
2.2
2.3
2.4
Review and develop training opportunities for
customers
Review our partnership and affinity arrangements
with British Gas
Undertake a review of the heating charge structure
NS
Jan-12
Mar-16
SMcG
Apr-12
Sep-12
SMcG
Apr-12
Apr-13
2.5
Investigate opportunities for procuring energy for
AH
Apr-11 Apr-12
customers
Strategic Priority 3 - Achieving energy, emissions and cost savings in the buildings we
occupy:
3.1 Establish processes for monitoring energy and
KF
Apr-12 Apr-13
water use within BH sites and establish baseline
information
3.2 Review office arrangements and establish new
KF
sustainability standards
3.3 Commission Energy Performance Certificates
CG/KF Apr-12 Apr-13
(EPC) for major office sites, UCAN centres and
community centres and develop action plans to
improve ratings
3.4 Review procurement of energy
JW
Sep-11 Apr-12
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3.5
Promote energy efficiency message and develop
VR
inter office competitions to reduce energy and
water use, recycle more of our waste and use less
paper
Strategic Priority 4 - Raising awareness amongst our staff:
Jan-12
4.1
Develop staff training on sustainability issues
MOD
Sep-11 Mar-16
4.2
Develop and launch staff champions network
linked to I Love Bolton
Consider staff rewards and incentives including
introduction of new staff award
Participate in national campaigns and programmes
VR
Jan-12
Apr-12
MOD
Jan-11
Mar-16
VR
Apr-11
Mar-16
ML
Apr-12
Apr-13
4.3
4.4
Mar-16
Strategic Priority 5 - Tackling emissions in our vehicle fleet:
5.1
Review Vehicle Fleet
Strategic Priority 6 - Reducing the environmental impact of our staff travel:
6.1
Review staff travel
MOD
Apr-12
Apr-13
Apr-12
Sep-12
Strategic Priority 7 - Making our procurement more sustainable
7.1
Develop a responsible product purchasing policy
which includes sustainable alternatives to cleaning
products, recycled paper, consumables and office
furniture and locally sourced or fair-trade food
ML
Strategic Priority 8 - Reducing the environmental impact of our waste:
8.1
Review waste arrangements
VR
Sep-11 Sep-13
Strategic Priority 9 - Embedding environmental sustainability into our business:
9.1
Implement recommendations from SHIFT
assessment, participate in SHIFT learning year and
undertake public SHIFT assessment in 2012/13
VR
Sep-11 Mar-16
9.2
Develop a quarterly reporting method linked to
outcome targets/PIs
Include environmental sustainability issues within
directorate business planning processes and
develop directorate targets and PIs
VR
Sep-11 Apr-12
TC
Sep-11 Mar-12
Review staff appraisal processes to include
sustainability objectives
Develop your business contingency plan, which
includes measures to evacuate vulnerable
residents/employees
MOD
Apr-12
Apr-13
KF
Apr-12
Apr-13
9.3
9.4
9.5
29