MOST SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATION – LOCAL AUTHORITY
successful supply chain. Due to the scale of the project it has been able to support the growth of such a supply chain, making wood fuel a feasible option for other organisations and individuals in the county who may wish to use it. Carbon savings in excess of 1000 tonnes CO2
per
year have been made from installations to date. The Council has been pro-active in sharing the knowledge gained from the biomass installations and has shared this through organised events and informal talks with those who have expressed an interest.
An example of knowledge sharing is the workshop event that was held at Nayland Primary School to demonstrate one of the biomass boiler installations to the wider public. Suffolk County Council have also run several tours for pupils from schools where biomass has been installed so they can see first hand the processes involved and learn about the systems being used at their school.
Since implementing the scheme many other organisations and individuals have been able to benefit from learning about the scheme and how obstacles were overcome. Published case studies in industry publications such as SCEME (Society of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), Modern Building Services and the Anglia Woodfuel website. Further information on the woodfuel strategy has also been published in conjunction with the Forestry Commission and various information regarding woodfuel in Suffolk is also available on the Suffolk County Council website.
www.suffolk.gov.uk The Suffolk team were also
responsible for innovative design for a fuel delivery system to make it easier to blow woodchip into the store.
Setting up the necessary infrastructure to make wood fuel a feasible option for the region has entailed close partnerships, working with a number of organisations across the public and private sector. Other authorities have been able to benefit from the knowledge gained and work has been replicated in Norfolk in Flegg High School and Suffolk County Council assisted by providing advice. A number of schools in Essex are looking at the potential for woodfuel installations and a visit to two schools in Suffolk made in January will help inform their decision on these installations.
PERFORMANCE OF NEW BUILDINGS Sustainability is at the core of design for all new Suffolk County Council buildings. As part of the Council’s Environmental Action Plan, the aspiration is for all new buildings to be BREEAM
Innovative wood-chip delivery system, as installed at Rendlesham Primary School
Excellent rated.
Energy efficiency is key and as well as ensuring the building fabric is as efficient as possible, Suffolk has a fuel hierarchy to ensure low carbon and renewable technologies are considered early on. As a public authority we are always looking to use innovative, new technologies where possible in order to lead by example. Currently, we are planning to employ a transpired solar collector on a new school hall (see picture below). This is a technology which has not as yet been used widely in the UK and even less in this kind of application.
It is well known across the industry that there remains a gap between predicted design performance and actual energy performance. We have applied for funding for one of our projects to take part in the Soft Landings scheme, which seeks to bring about closer working between clients and designers to help address this gap. Ahead of the coming changes to Part L (Conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations, Suffolk’s design team have also carried out energy modelling to understand the
implications, the findings of which were shared with colleagues and partners from the Suffolk Property Consultants Partnership. We recognise that although we are working towards reducing our carbon emissions, the current rate of predicted climate change means that adaptive measures will also be needed if our buildings are to remain usable in future. We have identified potential risks to our services from climate change in a risk register and are currently seeking ways in which to address these risks through building design.
As a local authority, creating the greenest county is one of our key strategic priorities and we know that addressing energy use in buildings will be crucial in reducing our carbon emissions. We are striving to be leaders in this area and through initiatives such as the Suffolk Green Buildings Network we hope to be able to encourage partnership working and knowledge sharing across our region and beyond.
Image of proposed hall extension incorporating a transpired solar collector
SUSTAINABLE FM AWARDS 2010 |15
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