'Significant progress' in Wiltshire's carbon neutral aims

Retro-fitting homes could be a way to cut carbon emissions. the report suggests

Wiltshire is making "progress" towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030, according to a report.

The county council-commissioned report details actions taken by the authority, such as installing LED lighting, giving permission for affordable, zero-carbon homes and planting trees.

However, carbon emissions from council buildings has gone up recently as staff resumed working in offices.

It comes after a climate emergency was declared by the council in 2019.

Head of climate programme, Ariane Crampton, said: "Since full council resolved to acknowledge that there is a climate emergency and to seek to make the county of Wiltshire carbon neutral by 2030, a number of areas of work have been progressed."

A £12m project to convert streetlighting to energy efficient LED options for all standard lights in the county has been completed according to the report, saving about 1,770 tonnes of CO2, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 

In addition, under the £3.5m Property Carbon Reduction Programme, 1,500 tonnes of CO2 per year from the council's carbon footprint are being saved, the report said.

Experts say the UK needs to retrofit homes to make them energy efficient

The council has also been looking at a programme of solar canopy installations in sites where there are suitable council-owned car parks that are alongside buildings with high levels of energy use.

As well as this, the council has tendered a three-year contract to find a provider to deliver 1,000 new affordable zero carbon homes.

The council aims to reduce the amount of CO2 coming from its 5,000 houses by 15,000 tonnes.

Leisure centres, which are one of the council's biggest users of energy, have been told to come up with ideas to reduce consumption.

The council is also trying to introduce more electric vehicles (EV) and have ordered 10 EV cars, 15 EV vans, and a further 17 EV vans are to come.

The council has also submitted a bid for £300,000 to fund a county-wide tree plantation and there have been works to trial rewilding rural road verges and urban parklands.

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