Emissions from energy use remain the largest source of emissions within the council and the district. To achieve net zero, we have a responsibility to make our buildings more energy efficient and can play a crucial role in encouraging energy generation from low carbon technologies.
What is the council doing to reduce energy use?
We are delivering projects to reduce energy use, such as insulating homes, providing electric vehicle charging points, encouraging installation of solar panels, helping businesses to become more energy efficient. However, this is only the start and there is more that we all need to do to tackle the climate challenge.
Short term
Training on tackling the climate emergency was given to managers and elected members by a climate change expert.
- 291 staff have completed the mandatory eLearning climate change module (previous) and now an expanded to a environmental awareness module.
- A climate impact statement is included in all reports going to cabinet and full council to help members assess the climate impacts of major decisions.
- Printers have been reduced from 14 to 6 in the Civic Centre, reducing the number of devices using power while on standby.
- A cycle-to-work scheme is in place with cycle training available.salary scheme for electric vehicles was introduced in April 2022 to encourage staff to trade in more polluting models of car for new electric vehicles.
- 321 adopted streetlights have been converted to LED lighting.
- A Climate Change Champions group has been set up - this is a network of staff interested in actively raising awareness of energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. The group has created an environmental calendar which encourages other staff to get involved.
- Teams at the council have been encouraged to choose and complete an environmental challenge together to do their bit for the environment.
Medium term
- The council encourages staff to work from home where they are able to do so. Bookable desks and meeting rooms with hybrid meeting equipment are available for use by all staff to minimise the number of commuting journeys.
- Procurement staff regularly attend Kent County Council (KCC) procurement network meetings where best practices in promoting green procurement for new contracts are discussed and shared.
Long term
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A net zero toolkit is being drafted to provide guidance for developers and homeowners on how to eliminate carbon emissions in new build housing developments and refurbishment projects.
Reducing emissions from our council homes
The starting point to reducing emissions from our council homes is to understand the current condition of the homes. We have therefore completed a stock condition survey of the district's council homes to provide a comprehensive assessment of their condition. This highlights what work will need to be done to improve the energy efficiency of the homes and reduce their carbon emissions.
We are committed to meeting government guidelines for improving energy efficiency in the council homes we manage to energy performance certificate (EPC) C rating by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
Work is currently ongoing to retrofit existing council homes (3,400 homes in total). This might include building new homes and refurbishing any new homes we acquire. We aim to build and procure 300 new homes by 2026 and refurbish 1,000 homes by 2036. We will also work with our tenants to reduce the energy they use by making simple changes to how they use their homes and appliances.
The government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is focused on upgrading the energy efficiency of social homes. The council applied for funding under Wave 1 of the scheme, and was awarded £1.9m, one of the highest awards of any district council in the country. The target of this work is to improve the energy efficiency of homes to an energy performance certificate (EPC) band of at least C. Retrofitting all our council homes is a major challenge however, this funding is enabling us to retrofit 109 of our most energy inefficient homes and Ross House in Folkestone.
We were also awarded £2.1m for wave 2.1 and this will see another 300 council homes being retrofitted.
Net Zero Toolkit
The council is also preparing a net zero toolkit to provide advice to those looking to deliver net zero low energy homes. We have commissioned architects Levitt Bernstein and sustainability specialists Elementa and Etude to deliver a practical, easy-to-follow guide for new build and retrofit projects.
This guide will be used by the council to guide carbon reductions in our own developments and will also be available to private developers and homeowners for their own projects. The toolkit will cover a range of steps from pre-planning through to construction. We are also looking to embed the principles of the Net Zero Toolkit in planning policy to provide more control over new developments, subject to government reforms of the planning system.
Net Zero Toolkit further information
Driving electric forward
We secured funding from Kent County Council from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to provide charging points in every council car park. So far 53 electric vehicle charging points have been installed across 14 car parks in the district, while another 23 off-street charging points have also been provided by commercial businesses.
We are also investigating the possibility of working with KCC to deliver on-street charge points on lampposts across the district. We have committed £40k for the project with the remaining 75% of funds coming from central government.
In total 94 charging points have been installed across the district, making life easier for those with electric vehicles and providing the infrastructure to encourage others to follow suit.
Solar Together Kent
Folkestone & Hythe District Council is taking part in a group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage, in partnership with Kent County Council and the other Kent councils. Solar Together Kent will help to deliver carbon savings to homeowners,small to medium sized businesses and charities across the district.
The 2022 scheme will deliver reductions in carbon emissions of around 37,000 tonnes across Kent over the next 25 years. Within Folkestone & Hythe district 1,638 solar panels were installed, with 134 batteries, which will deliver emissions reductions of around 3,681 tonnes over the next 25 years.
The 2023 scheme is well under way and interest is higher than ever.
For more information on any of the climate action work please contact our Low Carbon Senior Specialist olu.fatokun@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk
Green Business Grant
A new green grant is being offered to businesses across the district. The £250K scheme is aimed at businesses within the district that want to invest in more energy-efficient ways of working. These grants are available to businesses to make low-carbon and environmental improvements.
The aim of the grants is to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint and funding of up to £25K is available to provide not more than 40% of the total investment.