Setting the Standard: How Durham County Council is Leading Public Sector Carbon Reduction

Durham County Council is a large unitary council based in the North East of England, dedicated to sustainability and climate action. The council’s commitment to environmental responsibility began in the 1990s during the Local Agenda 21 period and has strengthened since declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019. This declaration marked a turning point, galvanising efforts to tackle climate change across all areas of operation. As a local government authority, Durham County Council recognises the importance of leading by example and inspiring the community to take action on carbon reduction.

Situation and Challenge

Since declaring a Climate Emergency, one of the council’s key challenges has been reducing reliance on natural gas for heating, a significant contributor to its carbon footprint. Many council buildings, including energy-intensive leisure centres, depots, and offices, rely on gas boilers for heating. In addition, the need to decarbonise the vehicle fleet and reduce emissions from the transportation network was identified as a priority.

The challenge was twofold: eliminating fossil fuel-based heating systems and replacing them with renewable alternatives, while also creating an energy infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). These changes needed to be implemented without disrupting essential public services.

Objectives

To reduce emissions from heating systems and overall energy consumption across its estate, the council set out to:

• Decarbonise heating in its most energy-intensive buildings.
• Support the transition to electric vehicles by developing EV infrastructure.
• Implement low-carbon technologies to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
• Set a strong example for the public and other public sector organisations.

Actions Taken for Carbon Reduction

To achieve these objectives, the council launched several transformative projects, with the Morrison Busty Depot serving as a flagship low-carbon facility. Actions included:

• Morrison Busty Depot Transformation – The Morrison Busty Depot, which houses offices, waste facilities, a plant nursery, and vehicle service yards, underwent significant retrofitting. This included installing a 3MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and a 2MWh battery storage system, providing enough electricity to meet the site’s energy needs. The solar farm also enables excess power to be exported to the grid.
• Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure – Rapid EV charging points were installed at the depot to support the transition to a fully electric fleet. This infrastructure ensures fleet vehicles can charge efficiently using electricity generated by the solar farm.
• Heating Decarbonisation – Traditional gas boilers at the Morrison Busty Depot were replaced with air source heat pumps, providing an energy-efficient alternative and significantly reducing carbon emissions associated with heating.
• Thermal Upgrades to Buildings – The council improved the energy efficiency of its buildings by installing external wall insulation, upgraded glazing, and roof insulation. These measures are designed to reduce overall energy demand, contributing to significant energy savings.
• LED Lighting and Control Systems – The lighting system at the depot was upgraded to energy-efficient LEDs, with dimming and wireless control capabilities to further reduce energy consumption.

Results Achieved

The initiatives have delivered significant results. The Morrison Busty Depot is now fully operational, and after a full year of operation, the site is estimated to be saving approximately 500 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Additionally, the solar farm has exported over 1 million kWh of electricity to the grid, contributing positively to regional renewable energy efforts.

The council’s electric fleet has also expanded, with vehicles charging at the depot having driven approximately 76,000 miles on electricity sourced almost entirely from the solar farm. This model is now being expanded to other depots, with additional renewable energy projects planned, including the installation of four 12kW wind turbines at another site.

Despite a slight increase in electricity use due to the expansion of low-carbon technologies across the estate, there has been a 13% reduction in gas demand compared to the previous year. As the energy systems continue to evolve, further savings are expected, particularly as the grid continues to decarbonise and the fleet transition accelerates.

The council continues to explore innovative sustainability solutions, such as utilising server farms to heat local authority swimming pools and investigating deep geothermal projects. These initiatives contribute to the council’s sustainability goals while providing a model for other public sector organisations to follow.

“Whilst we have an ongoing carbon reduction plan and individual projects focused on sustainability and carbon reduction, the iiE process has helped to identify areas for improvement and in confirming strengths. Taking a step back and looking at the work we do helps to reinforce that we are having an impact and gives us a platform to accelerate change”