Failed: Holyrood misses green building targets

PUBLIC buildings run by the Scottish Government have failed miserably to achieve acceptable standards of energy efficiency, The Scotsman can reveal.

Buildings such as St Andrew's House and Victoria Quay in Edinburgh are massively energy inefficient and have far larger carbon footprints than they should.

Their poor showing was revealed yesterday, the day all large public buildings in Scotland were supposed to display Energy Performance Certificates under EU laws.

However, the system has been described as a "shambles", with most failing to meet the deadline, including the landmark Scottish Parliament building.

The likes of town halls, museums, schools and job centres are being tested to establish their energy efficiency on a sliding scale, where A is the best and G is the worst.

Even though only buildings that are regularly visited by members of the public need to have a certificate, the Scottish Government decided to "set an example" by getting the energy efficiency of all its offices analysed. However, ministers have been left red-faced after the results revealed most of the buildings are performing disastrously.

Even Victoria Quay in Leith, which opened 12 years ago to house officials, achieved a rating of only E+, far below its recommended level. St Andrew's House in Edinburgh achieved the same, even though surveyors concluded both should achieve a C rating if they were to be classed as "good".

Buildings account for almost 50 per cent of the UK's damaging greenhouse gas emissions. It has been estimated almost a fifth of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK are caused by non-residential buildings.

Premises that are not energy efficient use larger amounts of heating, lighting and air conditioning. This requires more energy from power stations, which largely rely on fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

Chas Booth, from the Association for the Conservation of Energy, thought the findings were an "embarrassment for the Scottish Government".

He said: "Little more than a month after the publication of their much-vaunted climate change bill, which aims for ambitious cuts in emissions, it seems the government's own estate is one of the worst climate change culprits.

"The public sector should be leading by example, and the government must now commit to a planned programme of energy efficiency improvements to ensure this waste and pollution is brought under control."

John Alker, from the UK Green Buildings Council, said it was crucial that buildings in the public sector improved. "Our public buildings are some of the leakiest and most energy inefficient in the country," he said. "If we are to meet our climate-change targets of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, then our public sector buildings must lead the way."

A Scottish Government spokesman said ministers had decided to test the energy efficiency of their buildings, even though they did not have to under EU legislation, because they recognised their "leadership role".

He went on: "We have displayed operational ratings in the main buildings to complement the Energy Performance Certificates, meaning we will have gone beyond the minimum statutory requirements, underlying our commitment to leading by example."

Many organisations responsible for public buildings did not manage to get the Energy Performance Certificates completed on time, including Dundee and Aberdeen universities. Some blamed the fact there were not enough trained energy assessors available to carry out the inspections.

The Scottish Parliament was another that did not manage to meet the EU's Sunday deadline. A "draft" Energy Performance Certificate, displayed on the wall of the visitor area, shows two small sections of the overall building achieved a B rating. To be considered "good", it should have achieved a B+.

Those that have succeeded in getting the certificates drawn up include Edinburgh city council's chambers, which scored an E+, and Glasgow city council's chambers, which achieved an E. The National Museum of Rural Life near East Kilbride scored an E, while the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh was given an F+.

Mr Booth thought the Scottish Government could be in breach of the EU directive for not having the certificates in place. "The introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs], which are a vital tool in reducing climate emissions from our buildings, has been a complete shambles," he said. "The Scottish Government have known about this vital European directive since 2002, yet they only introduced the required paperwork four months ago.

"The energy efficiency industry needs time to train the professionals needed to provide these certificates. Four months is simply not enough time."

Corinne Evans, from Friends of the Earth Scotland, said it was "extremely disappointing" the Scottish Parliament had not got its certificate. "It should have been leading the field rather than letting the side down," she said.

Patrick Harvie, a Green MSP, said: "Scottish ministers regularly urge the public to do better on climate change, so they have no excuse for not posting information about the government's own carbon emissions."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Parliament said they were working towards a full building certificate by the end of January.

She said it was such a large and complex building that it took a long time for the tests to be carried out.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said efforts would be made to improve their poorly performing buildings but added: "You wouldn't expect many of these buildings, which were built either in the dim and distant past or the recent past, to be carbon neutral."

He said they were aiming to reduce carbon emissions from energy use in their buildings by 12.6 per cent by March 2011 from 1999 levels, and then by 30 per cent by 2020.

"We are already taking steps to reduce energy use, including minimising unnecessary lighting in some of our larger buildings," he said.

"We signed up to the Carbon Trust's carbon management programme last year and we aim to establish a carbon management plan by the spring, targeting emissions relating to energy use, waste sent to landfill and all business travel. We also regularly highlight simple and effective energy saving measures to staff."

He denied they had been slow in tabling the criteria that had to be met by public buildings, leading to the delays in meeting the deadline for certificates to be displayed.

"We have taken a proactive approach to making public bodies aware of EPCs," he said. "Guidance was published in February 2007.

"Ministers wrote to around 500 public sector bodies alerting them of the need to have an EPC in February 2008; guidance leaflets were published on the government website in early 2008; and we held awareness-raising seminars in autumn last year."

• Additional reporting by Beth Mellor.

How the new system works … all the way from A to G

THOUSANDS of public buildings must display an energy performance certificate under European Union regulations that came into effect this month.

These certificates, which are similar to the energy efficiency labels on white goods, must show the energy efficiency of the building on a scale of A to G, where A is best and G is worst.

Those that score A emit up to 15kg of carbon dioxide per square metre of floor area each year. Those that score G emit more than 100kg.

Buildings that must display the performance certificates include universities, community centres, theatres, schools, exhibition halls, town halls, hospitals, courts, leisure centres, museums, libraries, police stations and crematoriums.

Those that do not display the certificates on time can be fined 5,000 by their local authority. However, the Scottish Government has decided that no fines will be handed out until March, to allow time for the certificates to be drawn up.

Buildings visited at least once a week by members of the public and those where the public has a right of access must also have a certificate.

There has been criticism that not enough qualified professionals have been trained in Scotland to carry out the assessments.

For a complex building, such as the Scottish Parliament, a computer model of the building has to be created, requiring large amounts of information on the structure, heating and lighting systems.

The main focus of the certificate is the amount of that is estimated to be released from a building.

The performance of the building is benchmarked against current building standards, and cost-effective energy-efficiency improvements are also recommended.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "In recognition of the requirements on property owners from January, we laid an amendment for the first three months of 2009."

Pass or fail – just how environmentally friendly are the corridors of power?

Government headquarters

IMPROVEMENTS, including installing double glazing, could bring crucial improvements to St Andrew's House in Edinburgh, which failed the energy efficiency test.

The Scottish Government's enormous headquarters, which stand to the south of Calton Hill, has been rated as achieving an E+ for its energy efficiency, on a scale where A is the best and G is the worst.

Assessors discovered that for every square metre of floor area, 62kg of carbon dioxide was being emitted each year.

The surveyors recommended simple steps, including reducing voltage, putting in double glazing and improving the building management systems to improve its energy efficiency.

Assessors recognised a building of its age and size could not be carbon-neutral, but they believed that to be considered "good" it should have achieved a rating of C. This would mean it was emitting 39.5kg of carbon dioxide per square metre each year.

Construction began in 1935 and was completed in 1939. The building underwent a major refurbishment in 2001 and houses more than 1,000 government officials.

It is protected under a category-A listing.

Environmental guardians

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Strathearn House, Perth

Actual rating: C

Recommended rating: C

Overall rating: Pass

The figures: 44.8kg of emissions per square metre of floor area

Recommendations for improvement: Upgrade lighting and reduce voltage

Rural affairs

The Scottish Rural Affairs Department, Cameron House, Albany Street, Oban

Actual rating: G

Recommended rating: B

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 184.6kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Convert heating system from electric to gas and improve lighting controls

Energy efficiency specialists

The Scottish Energy Efficiency Office, based at Meridian Court, Cadogan Street, Glasgow

Actual rating: E

Recommended rating: E

Overall rating: Pass

The figures: 78.7kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Upgrade air conditioning and improve lighting system and controls

Information and library services

At government offices at Saughton House, Edinburgh

Actual rating: F

Recommended rating: C

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 94.2 kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Bring in a zoned heating system

The National Health Service

NHS Education for Scotland, the agency that aims to improve patient care by providing education and training for NHS staff. Based at Thistle House, Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh

Actual rating: G

Recommended rating: C

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 186.6kg of emissions per square metre of floor area

Recommendations: Improve lighting system and lighting controls and reduce voltage

The Scottish Parliament

Actual rating: B. (But only for part of the building: the MSPs' offices and Queensberry House. The majority of the building was not tested in time to meet the European Union deadline for an energy performance certificate)

Recommended rating: B+

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 26kg of per square metre

Schools inspectors

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, based at the Europa Building, Argyle Street, Glasgow

Actual rating: E

Recommended rating: D

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 77.5 kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Upgrade lighting and reduce voltage

Green experts

Environment and rural affairs, based at Pentland House, Robbs Loan, Edinburgh

Actual rating: D

Recommended rating: C+

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 56.3kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Install double-glazing and reduce voltage

Government headquarters

Victoria Quay, Leith

Actual rating: E+

Recommended rating: C

Overall rating: Fail

The figures: 64.5kg of emissions per square metre

Recommendations: Install a combined heat and power system and upgrade lighting system and lighting controls