Energy use at our Properties

Monitoring and managing energy use reduces our carbon dioxide emissions, minimises the impact of increasing energy prices and helps us to meet existing and future regulatory requirements.

We have been working with the Carbon Trust since 2003 to develop and implement our energy benchmarking tool. This tool provides an active means of controlling energy use in the common (landlord-controlled) areas of our multi-let properties.

In 2006 we rolled out the energy benchmarking tool to managing agents with a programme of briefing and training sessions.

We continued to use our extranet, the Portal, to collect energy and water use information. Environmental consultants Arup helped us to rate properties against an ‘A’ to ‘G’ carbon performance scale and set appropriate benchmarks for each property. The first eighteen months of usage raised the expected challenges regarding quality and provision of accurate and meaningful information.

Following initial results we focused on working with managing agents of properties where energy performance was rated as either very good (‘A’) or very poor (‘G’) against their energy benchmark. We checked the accuracy of the information input, whether the benchmark was appropriate for the property, or whether indeed the property was a particularly poor or good energy user.

Based on this review we selected seven poor performing properties for energy surveys. The surveys showed that once site-specific information was known, performance generally improved. However, ratings were still below the benchmarks, suggesting that energy usage continued to be higher than it should be.

We developed a range of improvement recommendations covering aspects such as management and control of services, lighting, space heating, ventilation, and building fabric. These recommendations range from no cost through to high investment. They will be added to property specific energy performance reports and managing agents will be responsible for ensuring that they are implemented.

At the end of 2006 we reviewed the benchmarking tool. Users provided feedback on the tool’s usability and quality control of the information. A programme of improvements for the benchmarking tool is being implemented, relating to automated information validation checks, usability, reporting and refreshing the property benchmark tables.

Next steps

• Complete the programme of improvements for the benchmarking tool
• Provide managing agents and site managers with a training session on the benchmark tool
• Refresh the property energy benchmarks based on the results of the energy surveys, and target properties rated as poor against the new benchmarks
• Benchmark the energy performance of the common areas of properties that are managed by British Land and for which the company has a share of the Funds.

Find out about the energy and water used in the common areas of our multi-let portfolio.