Greener, transparent government took a step forward today with two ministries displaying their energy use in real-time, on-line, for the first time.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Home Office will be followed by all central government HQs in the coming months, making good on a promise made by Prime Minister David Cameron only three weeks ago.
Real-time on-line energy display is part of the Government’s commitment to cut carbon emissions from central government by 10% in the next year. From today, the energy used to heat and light DECC and the Home Office will be persistently updated on-line in units of energy, cost and carbon.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne is leading the drive to reduce Whitehall’s emissions by 10% and will today chair the cross-Whitehall and private sector working group on greening government.
He said: “We’re opening up Whitehall’s electricity and gas meters to public scrutiny. There can be no hiding place for energy waste in central government.
“Cutting energy use saves carbon and it saves taxpayers’ money. Only by leading by example can we expect businesses and homes up and down the country to follow suit.”
Lynne Featherstone MP, minister responsible for sustainability in the Home Office said: “The energy tracker will enable the public to see how the Home Office is working towards being a more energy efficient department while reducing its carbon footprint.
“This demonstrates the government’s commitment to transparency and will allow the public to see how much we are spending on gas and electricity in real time. This will also drive efficiency and ensure we are delivering value for money.”
By capturing electricity and gas use at DECC’s London GQ, the on-line tool displays real-time energy information that is updated every five seconds. It provides an at-a-glance view of energy use over the last 24 hours.
As more data is collected it will become available in different formats – for example, for the past week, month and year – with current performance compared to previous performance.
According to DECC, the current tool, powered by CarbonCulture, has three main purposes, First, to be transparent about the amount and costs of the energy the government uses. Second, to provide a further incentive to reduce its energy use. Third, to demonstrate how easily others can use real-time information to make their own savings.
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