Ceredigion County Council is making its commitment to carbon reduction with the employment of the Authority's first Energy and Carbon Reduction Programme Manager.
Bethan Lloyd Davies has been in-post since the beginning of August, but has been in authority employment for a little over eight years.
Her previous post within the authority provided her with an in depth knowledge of energy related issues, technologies and legislation, as well as experience in energy monitoring and reporting. This previous experience, as well as her enthusiasm for carbon reduction will enable her to successfully carry out her new role. It will be the Energy Manager's responsibility to plan, regulate and monitor energy usage within the authority, by implementing new policies and changes to improve energy efficiency.
'Changes in building regulations and an increase in legislation and European Directives on emissions have increased the need for organisations to develop carbon management sustainability strategies,' explained Bethan.
She added: 'Ceredigion County Council recognises the importance of climate change and the long-term impact that it will have both on communities and the environment. As a 'responsible' organisation, Ceredigion County Council is committed to reducing its' carbon footprint, which with benefit both the Authority and the wider community through reduced CO2 emissions and also energy cost savings.'
Over the coming months, the authority intends to update its Carbon Management Plan, which covers non-domestic buildings, business travel, street lighting and fleet vehicles. The Energy Manager will play a vital role in this process.
'This is an ideal opportunity to look at our current position and document all the good work that has been achieved so far in actively introducing measures to lower our carbon footprint, e.g AMR installations, biomass feasibility studies, school PV installs, programme of loft insulation, boiler replacements etc. This will then enable us to set new targets and identify and implement strategies that will help us achieve our goal going forward,' said Bethan.
Cllr Alun Williams, Cabinet Member for Carbon Management, said:
'I'm delighted by this new appointment. For many years now people in Ceredigion have shown that they place a high priority on environmental sustainability and the Council is aiming to reflect that in its policies and practices. How local councils behave can have a significant effect on carbon emissions. This appointment of an Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager demonstrates the Council's commitment to being a leading local authority in this field and to look for further ways to reduce our carbon footprint.'
There have been many positive changes within the authority during the last year, with the formation of the Carbon Management Group and also the appointment of this new post. The authority has already identified the need to implement a behavioural change programme within the authority, which will help us to achieve our goals and will complement the good work and commitment to carbon management that exists within our authority.