Energy projects save Dundee City Council £700,000 per year

Dundee Ice Arena is one of the facilities to benefit

VITAL Energi has revealed details of its work with Dundee City Council over the past seven years, during which time it has delivered three major energy conservation projects across its estate.

The firm has implemented technologies such as solar PV lighting, heating and ventilation upgrades and improvements to the local authority’s building energy management systems.

Vital Energi delivered an energy performance contract on all three phases of the project which it said guarantees certain levels of performance, such as reduced energy costs and carbon savings. All three phases of the project are said to be outperforming their original guarantees.

Phase 3 has celebrated its anniversary and, after having the data verified by an independent third party, has outperformed its guaranteed targets by 17%. This has seen the council reduce its carbon emissions by 693 tonnes, whilst saving over £262,000 in energy costs, Vital Energi revealed.

Previous phases had seen upgrades to some of Dundee’s most-used community buildings such as Dundee Ice Arena and Central Library. Phase 3 built on this success to add improvements to another 20 buildings.

Chris Yeo, director of low carbon solutions for Vital Energi, said, “NDEE projects are fantastic for the public sector, because contractors have to guarantee certain areas of performance. This gives the client both budget certainty, and ensures they are getting the carbon reduction promised.

“This was a great project by Dundee City Council which has not only saved them money, which can be better spent on essential services, but it has allowed them to make big strides towards their net zero goals. We’re delighted that the installations are performing so well and are sure they’ll stand as an example of how city councils can reduce their emissions by hundreds of tonnes and make significant progress on their net zero journey.”

With all three phases now independently verified, Vital Energi said the council is saving over £700,000 in energy costs per year and has reduced carbon by 2,200 tonnes per annum.