Assessing the trends of energy use of public non-domestic buildings in England and Wales

Abstract

Accessing sufficient data for understanding how energy is used in non-domestic buildings is deemed to be a challenge in many countries. In the UK, such a challenge has led to limited understanding of long-term changes in energy use of buildings. This study aims to develop a deeper understanding of the trends in energy use across the public sector non-domestic buildings in England. Display energy certificate (DEC) data which relate to 59,740 public sector non-domestic buildings in England and Wales were analysed. Statistical analyses were carried out to understand both the latest patterns of energy use and how they have changed between 2010 and 2016. The patterns of energy use of various public-sector buildings were found to have gradually changed over the seven-year period. An imminent release of a revised dataset was deemed necessary for understanding the performance of buildings to support the aspirations set out in the clean growth strategy. The study pointed to a need for regularly gathering and sharing data for understanding the changes in the patterns of energy use of the stock. Developing a framework that can facilitate this would enable various stakeholders make informed decisions for improving energy efficiency of the UK’s non-domestic buildings. Practical application: Statistics on electrical and fossil-thermal energy use intensity provide up-to-date reference points for assessing operational energy efficiency of public sector buildings. Principles for developing a framework are provided to support various stakeholders make informed decisions on for example setting design targets or making capital investments.