Climate Change Advisory
Panel
8 June 2022
6.30 - 8.40 pm
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Present:
Councillors
Dr Barnard, Harrison, Mrs Hayes MBE,
Mrs Ingham, Kennedy, Leake, Mossom, Virgo and Temperton
Apologies for absence were received from:
Councillors
Mrs McKenzie-Boyle
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<AI2>
2.
Election of
Chairman
Councillor Tony Virgo was appointed as
Chairman.
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3.
Appointment of
Vice-Chairman
Councillor Tina McKenzie-Boyle was appointed
as Vice-Chairman.
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4.
Declarations of
Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
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5.
Minutes
The minutes of the Climate Change Advisory
Panel on 25 April 2022 were approved.
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6.
Urgent Items of
Business
There were no urgent items of business.
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<AI7>
7.
Countryside
Partnerships presentation on Climate Change : Pathfinder - Marking
out the route to net zero.
Percy Mullany and Robert MacDiarmid of
Countryside Partnerships attended the meeting to give a
presentation and answer questions.
The presentation set out Countryside’s
approach to sustainability and detailed how they planned on
tackling issues in relation to net zero carbon and wider
sustainability issues.
Robert spoke of Countryside’s purpose:
to create places where people love to live, with sustainable
communities built to last. This aim had been broken down into three
broad pillars: ‘built to last’, ‘sustainable
communities’ and ‘thriving together’. Each pillar
was underpinned by various targets.
Concerning the ‘built to last’
pillar, targets had been set relating to safety performance,
sustainable materials and modern methods of construction –
all geared towards building a high-quality home.
On the second pillar, Robert spoke about a mix
of social and economic targets. There were clear commitments to
tree planting and biodiversity net gain, job creation schemes and
EV charging port installations – among other targets.
The final pillar contained more internally
focussed targets relating to, for example, the training of the
workforce.
Robert spoke about Countryside’s net
zero reduction strategy. In reducing the emissions that Countryside
were forecast to make during the period of 2020 to 2030, three
interventions were to have an effect. There were:
- A change to the building regulations to the
Interim Future Homes Standard in 2022.
- The Future Homes Standard in 2025 when gas
boilers were no longer to be fitted.
- A commitment to build 50% of homes by timber
frame.
Robert spoke about some of the key challenges
Countryside would face when building homes at scale:
·
An increase in build costs was mentioned, although economies of
scale would likely bring these down over time.
·
Whilst an issue with the supply of heat pumps themselves
wasn’t likely, there were not enough contractors to install
them.
·
Homes being completely electrified was to increase pressure on
local infrastructure.
·
The drop off in performance from a gas boiler and a heat pump was
likely to take time to acclimatise to and emphasis was placed on
the need to bring the customers along on the journey.
During a period of discussion, the following
points were made and answers were given:
- There was less concern relating to the
manufacture of heat pumps as manufacturers will scale up their
operation. More concern was attributed the lack of contractors able
to fit the heat pumps at the time.
- A modern heat pump works better when it
heating water to a lower temperature than a gas boiler would.
Therefore, a higher level of thermal efficiency were to be required
in new build homes. Heat pumps were starting to come onto the
market that could heat water to a temperature not dissimilar to a
gas boiler.
- Air source heat pumps are effective and have
lower infrastructure costs than water or ground source heat
pumps.
- An emersion heater has an coefficient
performance of 1 unit of electricity to 1 unit of heat. An electric
heater has a coefficient performance of 1.1:1. A heat pump has a
coefficient performance of between 1:2 and 1:5.
- Draughts coming into the home results in
reduced efficiency and increased heating costs. Therefore, homes
with heat pumps require more airtightness. Because of this, air
would have to be mechanically moved around the home.
- Houses with 2-3 bedrooms or more were likely
to need a water tank.
- The same regulations applied to apartments as
they did to low rise housing. A move away from gas heating to
renewable heating was required. This were to be achieved by having
an energy centre in the building with pipes carrying water around
to individual apartments. There was to be provision in certain
apartments to top up the water temperature.
- From June 2023, every home that has an
associated parking point weas to have an EV charging point made
available to them.
- It was advised that anaerobic digestion would
not have been economically viable on a small scale.
- Both of the planning applications that the
joint venture was looking at included provision of solar
panels.
- Air source units were to be placed inside
homes.
- The government had issued guidance to direct
local planning authorities to take into account some of the newer
design features of buildings with heat pumps.
- Heat pumps worked more efficiently when
heating water to 19-20 degrees.
- Concerns were raised as to whether the
district operator could meet the demand during peak EV charging
times.
- Public subsidies were going to be needed for
homeowners with lower value homes to support the retrofit. The
economic outlay for upgraded insulation was to be such a large sum
that it would not be recovered in its sale value.
</AI7>
<AI8>
8.
Annual report on
Climate Change Strategy
Damian James presented the Annual Report on
the Climate Change Strategy.
The Council had adopted a four pronged
approach to the Climate Change Strategy from 2020-2024. This was to
involve working with partners, working with schools and young
people, preserving the climate beneficial elements of the COVID-19
emergency and preserving the natural environment sustainably in
line with the Bracknell Forest Strategic Plans.
Damian illustrated the general trend of
reducing emissions across the borough.
Some of the strategic highlights of the year
prior were detailed:
- The Council had altered the corporate
decision making process so that climate considerations were
incorporated in the matrix.
- Climate change elements had been added to
service plans for 22/23.
- A number of programmes within the public
service team had impacted on climate change in the previous 12
months.
- In the Business Survey 2021, 51% of
businesses had the intention of being more environmentally
friendly.
- The Council had had a number of Ministers at
landfill sites to discuss a range of possible eco-projects.
- The Schools Climate Conference had been a
success.
The Council had been successful in obtaining
grant funding for various environmental projects over the previous
year.
An overview was given of the work various
teams across the Council were doing to contribute to the Councils
climate efforts.
During a period of discussion, the following
points were made and answers were given:
- Due to the economic climate at the time, many
businesses were primarily concerned with survival.
- Many organisations, including the
Council’s partner The Economic and Skills Development
Partnership, had been doing excellent work to help businesses with
their climate efforts.
- The ‘looking forward’ section of
the report was to be expanded.
- Statistics relating to Borough emissions not
directly under the control of the Council – about 98% of
Borough emissions – were to be provided.
- Small businesses were facing many of the same
pressures as individual households. They were to be able to access
and make use of some of the same Council initiatives as individual
households.
- A number of EV charging points were being
installed at Lily Hill Park for community use.
- The Council was engaging with Silver Homes to
help them receive grant funding in the next tranche.
- The Council held a database containing
information on the least well insulated properties within the
Borough. The Council was to target the individuals most in need and
the least efficient homes with funding as a priority.
- Residents were thanked for the excellent
effort they had made so far. Lots of people making small changes
had the cumulative impact of a large change.
- 8 schools within the Borough were to receive
funding for climate projects.
- Some revisions to sections of the report were
suggested.
The Chairman proposed that ‘This Panel
would like Executive to consider a proportion of the SIL money so
go towards home insulation’. The recommendation was seconded
by Councillor Leake.
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9.
Date of Next
Meeting
The next meeting of the Climate Change
Advisory Panel will be held on Thursday 29th September
2022.
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For further
information contact: Hannah
Harding