As part of the Government's drive to encourage energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, there is now a requirement for the county council to report energy consumption data to DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) for inclusion in the National Indicator 185 (Percentage CO2 reduction from Local Authority operations).

DEFRA have agreed that schools' energy usage will form part of the authority's carbon footprint, alongside other council buildings. The authority will also have legal and financial responsibility for participating in the Carbon Reduction Committment scheme from 2010.

A duty will be placed on schools requiring them to supply the Local Authority with annual energy use data, allowing it to calculate its emissions under the scheme and purchase allowances to cover its emissions.

This year we are working at establishing baseline data for the National Indicator and we need your assistance to get current, accurate data on your energy usage.
To this end we need you to send us your meter readings as read on 31^st March 2009 for oil, gas, electricity and water. To help make this as easy as possible for you we have put a simple to use online form available at http://schools.norfolk.gov.uk/go/meterreading.

In the past Michael Dawson from NPS has asked you for similar data for the Norfolk County Council energy management system. The readings you supply this year will feed into this system as in previous years with your data being used for, amongst other things, calculating consumption patterns, linking into the Energy Certification of Buildings programme and in the identifying of possible water leaks and other wastage, thus saving you money.

If you need assistance with reading your meter, a helpful guide is included here.
If for any reason you are unable to access your utility meter(s) or the online recording form, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting Michael on 01603 706136.

It is appreciated that water meters, in particular, can be very difficult to access and understand if you are unable to provide a reading. If there are difficulties in reading or accessing the water meter, please submit a billed meter reading along with the reading date and details provided on your last water invoice.

More information on NI185 is available via the DEFRA website: www.defra.gov.uk.
Further information on the Carbon Reduction Commitment is available on the DEFRA website.

Thank you for your help in making this process as easy as possible.

Michael Dawson Energy and Environmental Officer, NPS	Tel: 01603 706136 Email: Michael Dawson
Andrew Coles Deputy Head, Environmental & Outdoor Learning team, Children's Services	Tel: 07717547513 Email: Andrew Coles