Buildings action plan

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Introduction

In order to reach national carbon-reduction targets emissions from Dorset buildings will need to be eliminated and all energy used to maintain a comfortable indoor environment will need to be generated from renewable sources.

Dorset Council is extremely limited in the powers it has to achieve this. However, we do have control of our own current buildings and any future buildings that are constructed on our land. We are also able to influence and stimulate action with partners to facilitate change.

After detailed evidence and information gathering exercises, led by the EAP and carried out by officer working groups, it has been recommended that the Council implement the following 37 actions.

Milestones have been identified for each action. This plan shows the immediate targets we will need to achieve by 2023 to keep us on track.

Objective 1

Buildings - Objective 1
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Ensure Council estate becomes zero-carbon by 2040	Direct action	Low	Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	High

Action plan for buildings
Actions	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2021-2023 target
Ensure climate & ecological considerations are included as part of the Asset Review, and that the future asset management plan is aligned to achieving DC carbon budgets to 2040	Direct action	Low	Improved ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability	None	Guidance created and deployed by 2022
Commission study to identify opportunities for small scale on-site renewable energy installations on Council buildings & assets	Direct action	Low	None	Medium	Studies completed by June 2021
Carry out audits to identify opportunities to retrofit energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy generation across the estate on completion of the Asset Review.	Direct action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability	High	250 audits carried by 2023 (80 by 2022, 120 by 2023)
Increase capacity of Energy Team to develop and implement retrofit programme	Direct action	Low	None	High	Additional capacity in place by Dec 2021
Implement retro fit programme (to include LEDs, thermal upgrade, ambient cooling, conversions to low carbon energy sources) based on audits	Direct action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	High	10% of programme completed by 2023 (5% by 2022, 5% by 2023)
Ensure procurement specification favours energy efficient equipment	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	None	Procurement specification specifies energy efficient equipment by Dec 2021
Investigate the costs involved in making key buildings (such as County Hall) carbon neutral	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Costs identified & analysis completed by Dec 2021
Re-instate a school’s energy programme to support and work with schools to reduce energy and maximise use of renewable energy technologies	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	High	Schools liaison officer employed, Plan developed & initiated, Improvement targets set by 2022
Expand centralised utility management service across Dorset Council to incorporate an oversight of energy use, monitor consumption and target energy reduction at site level.	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	High	Energy officer employed, Plan developed & initiated, Improvement targets set by 2022
Expand centralised energy management system	Direct action	Low	Enhances health and wellbeing	High	System expanded by 20% by 2023 (10% each year)
Review operational controls on energy using equipment across council estate to ensure optimum efficiency	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	None	50% of building controls checked by 2023 (25% each year)
Keep cost/payback of streetlights, bollards and signals under review to identify when they meet a payback that satisfies loan requirements or finance policy requirements	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	High	Review cost benefit annually and implement viable projects

Objective 2

Objective 2 - buildings
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Ensure all new Council developments are zero-carbon	Direct action Partnership /influence action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium

Actions for objective 2 - buildings
Action	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2021-2023 target
Establish a policy to ensure all new buildings that Dorset Council has direct influence over (as landowners, clients, or designers) are zero-carbon (this being true zero-carbon, and so a negative BER to cover the unregulated emissions)	Direct action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Low	Policy developed by March 2022
Trial tools to measure the embodied carbon in construction, such as the open source “EC3” tool	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Future action beyond 2023
Investigate available tools to incorporate whole-life costing into property processes	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Future action beyond 2023
Promote more sustainable materials for new constructions based on the BREEAM tool	Direct action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Future action beyond 2023
Develop and promote case studies and examples of best practice on our own estate to encourage replication by others	Partnership /influence action	Low	Encourages economic sustainability	Medium	Future action beyond 2023

Objective 3

Objective 5 - buildings
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Decarbonise heating in housing and community, public and commercial buildings	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium

Actions for objective 3 - buildings
Action	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2121-2023 target
Lobby government for clarity on national strategy for heat and national policy framework	Partnership /influence action	High	Encourages economic sustainability	None	Lobby paper presented to Government in 2021
Investigate large scale installation of low carbon sources of heating (air/ground/water source heat pumps), using social housing as a test bed in partnership with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs)	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Liaised with RSLs to assess their plans, and Identify potential for large scale installations by 2022
Undertake heat mapping exercises to identify opportunities for low carbon heat in Dorset such as any clusters of buildings suitable for district heating, or large heat demands off the gas grid	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Heat mapping completed by March 2022
Investigate support for Dorset Council employees working from home in winter (funding / thermal upgrades / advice)	Direct action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium	Advice provided to employees, and Funding opportunities investigated & identified by June 2021
Targeted campaign to encourage all buildings off the gas grid to switch to heat pumps or biomass for heating	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Communications plan developed Campaign initiated by Dec 2022
Use Council buildings in trial projects to test the use of hydrogen heating	Partnership /influence action	High	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Low	Future action beyond 2023
Investigate potential in Dorset for large-scale ‘blue’ hydrogen generation with carbon capture and storage	Partnership /influence action	High	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Future action beyond 2023
Access new funding to assist residents to decarbonise heating (delivered through Healthy Homes Dorset Scheme)	Direct action	High	Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Green Homes Grant bid made by Sept 2020

Objective 4

Objective 5 - buildings
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Ensure new buildings in Dorset are zero-carbon	Indirect action Partnership /influence action	Medium	Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium

Actions for objective 4 - buildings
Action	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2021-2023 target
Develop a positive planning framework, in partnership with other agencies, for achieving true net zero carbon home standards in Dorset’	Indirect action	Medium	Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Planning framework in place by Dec 2021, adopted by 2023
Encourage designs and layouts which lend themselves to low-carbon energy solutions, and provide guidance and advice for developers to achieve zero carbon standards	Indirect action	Medium	Improves ecology Builds resilience	Medium	Guidance developed by Sept 2022
Ensure the relevant housing strategies and policies incorporate the reduction of carbon emissions and increased risk to climate impacts	Indirect action	Medium	Improves ecology Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Plans / Strategies identified in 2021 Carbon emission reductions & risk to climate impacts incorporated in plans by Sept 2022
Develop trials and pilots, with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), of localised off-site manufacturing for new build and retrofit	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability	Low	Investigate potential with RSLs by Dec 2021

Objective 5

Objective 5 - buildings
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Improve energy efficiency of current housing stock	Indirect action Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium

Actions for objective 5 - buildings
Action	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2021-2023 target
Enforce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rental sector (focus on EPC certificates E & F without exemptions)	Indirect action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	High	Enforcement plan developed by 2022
Work in partnership (e.g. with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), other councils and partners) to deliver programmes to improve energy efficiency of housing stock & hard to treat properties	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Strategy developed in 2021 and Programmes initiated by 2022
Educate residential and non-residential sectors on low-carbon technologies, energy efficiency, and sources of funding to encourage behaviour change & greater uptake of low-carbon technology	Partnership /influence action	Medium	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	Medium	Communication plan developed and implemented by 2021
Promote innovative and sensitive energy efficiency/renewable energy measures in conservation areas and on listed buildings which preserve and enhance such assets for the needs of existing and future occupants	Partnership /influence action	Low	Builds resilience Encourages economic sustainability Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Future action beyond 2023

Objective 6

Objective 6 - buildings
Objective	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost
Increase buildings resilience to climate change	Indirect action Partnership /influence action	Low	Improves ecology Builds resilience Enhances health and wellbeing	None

Actions for objective 6 - buildings
Action	Action type	CO2 saving potential	Co-benefits	Cost	2021-2023 target
Develop local plan policies to ensure climate risks are identified and avoided in new developments, including flood risk and overheating	Indirect action	Low	Improves ecology Builds resilience Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Local Plan policy in place by Dec 2021 adopted by 2023
Work with partners to increase climate change resilience of communities & buildings by understanding the future climate risks within Dorset	Partnership /influence action	Low	Improves ecology Builds resilience Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Risk Assessment carried out by Sept 2022
Ensure Emergency Plans are adapted to reflect changing climate risks and are tested and proven fit for purpose	Partnership /influence action	None	Improves ecology Builds resilience Enhances health and wellbeing	None	Lobby paper presented to government in 2021