The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has followed other government departments including DECC and the Home Office (SB, June 2010) by publishing its real-time energy use online.
The data shows energy use at its London headquarters, updating the figures every five seconds and showing units of energy used, CO₂ emissions and cost. Energy use in all 18 Whitehall department buildings can now be tracked online.
Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker said: “For too long Whitehall has been guilty of preaching and not acting on efficiency. Slashing energy waste in government needs to happen fast, as much for tackling the public finances as for climate change. Shining a spotlight on what’s being used in real time will help staff change their behaviour and the public hold us to account. We said we’d be the greenest government ever and we mean it.”
Baseline figures for 2008-09 public estate energy consumption have also been published. They are:
| Part of public sector estate |
% of emissions |
Use |
% |
| Core departments |
3 |
Catering |
7 |
| Executive agencies |
5 |
Computing |
6 |
| Ministry of Defence |
10 |
Cooling and ventilation |
2 |
| Local authorities |
20 |
Hot water |
8 |
| State schools |
21 |
Heating |
63 |
| HE institutions |
11 |
Lighting |
8 |
| FE institutions |
4 |
Other |
5 |
| NHS bodies |
23 |
TOTAL |
100 |
| Police, fire and rescue |
4 |
|
|
| TOTAL |
100 |
|
|
http://data.gov.uk/
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/environment/ |