19 December 2008
By David Scott in Edinburgh
The Scottish Government and public sector bodies have been told to show stronger leadership on energy efficiency and give it greater priority at a time of soaring prices.
In a report published on December 11, Audit Scotland said such leadership would ensure the development and implementation of good energy strategies and bring changes to culture and behaviour.
The report, Improving energy efficiency, examined how councils, the NHS and central government bodies are improving energy efficiency in their building and transport use.
It said that the Scottish Government had established two greenhouse gas emissions targets to which all public bodies were expected to contribute. These required a cut in emissions before 2011 and a reduction of 80% by 2050.
The report added: 'There is a need for stronger leadership by the Scottish Government and within public bodies to improve energy efficiency and ensure that the necessary cultural and behavioural changes are made.'
The watchdog said energy efficiency strategies were inconsistent in quality. It also referred to a lack of monitoring and reporting of progress by public bodies and the Scottish Government.
Auditor general Bob Black said the public sector should give greater priority to energy efficiency for both environmental and financial reasons.
He added: 'Improving energy efficiency can be one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to enhance the public sector's contribution to addressing the challenges of climate change. It should also reduce the impact of rising energy prices on public services.'
The study found that the public sector had made some progress by cutting energy use in public buildings by 4.8% between 2004/05 and 2006/07. However, spending on energy over the same period increased by almost 46.7% due to rises in fuel and power costs.
PFdec2008
