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• Corporate Responsibility
• Resource use

• Carbon neutral company
• Reporting resource use
• Energy use and carbon dioxide emissions

Carbon neutral company

Earlier this year we announced the decision to become carbon neutral by 2008/9. The target will be achieved through on-going measurement and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, by maximising energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy and by using offsetting as a final step to achieve carbon neutrality. We will also continue to work in close partnership with suppliers and customers to help them to reduce their carbon footprints.

Reporting resource use

We use energy to power lighting, heating, ventilation and cooling, and for cleaning activities. We use water for domestic facilities, cooling and landscape watering.

We record energy and water information for the common (landlord-controlled) areas of our multi-let properties. These are the areas where, as landlord, we control usage and can directly effect improvements. Information for April 2005 to March 2006 is compared to information for the same period in 2004/5, according to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ('DEFRA') guidelines. Information was reported from properties with a total common floor area of 1.49 million square metres (m²) in 2005/6, a 42% increase on 2004/5.

Total water use decreased by 16% to 417,926 cubic metres (m³) in 2005/6. Approximately 60% of our total reported water usage was in offices and over 30% was in shopping centres. Overall intensity of water use decreased from 0.82 m³ per m² in 2004/5 to 0.51 m³ per m² in 2005/6. Residential properties used water most intensely per m² compared with other property types. During 2006 we sold our residential portfolio and so our water management activities now focus on our shopping centre and office portfolios.

Total consumption of all energy types (electricity, gas and oil) decreased by 4% to 66,041,930 kWh in 2005/6. Associated CO₂ emissions also decreased by 2.7% to 22,527 tonnes in 2005/6. This slight decrease reflects year on year changes in the composition of the property portfolio as well as year on year reductions in reported resource use by properties.

Electricity use accounts for almost 80% of the total CO₂ emissions from the property portfolio and represents our most intensive source of CO₂ per m². Gas use accounts for almost all of the remaining CO₂ emissions and is our most intensively used energy source per m². Oil use, which was reported in only one of our properties, makes a minor contribution to our CO₂ emissions and remains consistent with 2004/5.

Total CO₂ emissions associated with electricity use in offices decreased by 16.6% to 6,938 tonnes in 2005/6, largely due to the energy management activities at Broadgate. Total CO₂ emissions for electricity in shopping centres increased by 10% to 9,787 tonnes in 2005/6, largely due to data from two additional properties and a significant increase in electricity reported from one shopping centre. Total CO₂ emissions for electricity in 'other' properties increased by 56% to 1,154 tonnes in 2005/6, due to the inclusion of one retail property which reported high consumption; the accuracy of this property's data will be reviewed in 2007.

Total CO₂ emissions associated with gas use in offices decreased by 13% to 4,043 tonnes in 2005/6, largely due to properties reporting a decrease in use and fewer reporting properties. Total CO₂ emissions for gas use in shopping centres increased by 16% to 605 tonnes in 2005/6 due to more centres reporting gas use and an increase in gas use. However, CO₂ emissions per m² for gas use in shopping centres decreased by 65% to 1.9 kilograms in 2005/6, largely due to newly reporting properties reporting a low consumption relative to common floor area.

324 cubic metres of rainwater were harvested and re-used at Meadowhall in 2006

Energy use and carbon dioxide emissions

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, which provides an active means of controlling energy use in the common (landlord-controlled) areas of our portfolio. In 2006 we rolled it out to managing agents. Based on initial findings, we carried out energy surveys for seven properties and developed improvement recommendations covering aspects such as management and control of services, lighting, space heating, ventilation and building fabric.

As well as benchmarking the energy performance of the common areas of our portfolio, we engaged with occupiers at Broadgate to monitor and manage the areas that they are responsible for. We are also evaluating the energy performance of our development projects and assessing the likely Energy Performance Certification level of two development projects, Ropemaker Place and The Leadenhall Building.

As part of the carbon management programme we are reviewing opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide ('CO₂') emissions by switching to no or low-carbon energy sources. 67.5% of the CO₂ emissions reported for the common areas of our portfolio in 2005/6 was from energy supplied entirely from Climate Change Levy exempt sources.

Total CO₂ emissions (tonnes) are calculated by converting reported energy use into kilograms of CO₂ using DEFRA conversion factors.

*All CO₂ calculations include emissions from energy used in properties supplied by Climate Change Levy exempt sources through the National Grid. During 2005/6, 100% of the electricity supplied to properties, with a total common floor area of 422,624 m², was from Climate Change Levy exempt sources, which represents 85% of the total reported CO₂ emissions associated with electricity and 67.5% of total reported emissions.

Other initiatives

324,000 litres of rainwater harvested and used for landscaping, cleaning and flushing toilets at Meadowhall Shopping Centre.
140 cycle spaces at Regent's Place as part of our sustainable Travel Plan for the area.
11% Meadowhall Shopping Centre reduced energy consumption by 11% in 2006, reducing carbon dioxide emissions.