Written question asked by Clive Betts (Labour) on Thursday, 17 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 July 2008. It was answered by David Lammy (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 September 2008 on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Departmental Buildings

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's policy is on improving the energy efficiency of the buildings which it (a) rents and (b) owns; what changes there have been in the energy efficiency of such buildings in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years; and whether his Department has adopted targets on energy efficiency improvements in the buildings it occupies over the next (A) five and (B) 10 years.

Answer: Estate services for the main office accommodation occupied by the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills are provided by the Departments for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Children Schools and Families. Answers given by those Departments will therefore cover this Department as well.The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills also manages an estate in Teddington, occupied principally by the National Physical Laboratory. The majority of activities undertaken on the estate have recently moved to new and very different accommodation, so historical comparisons would not be meaningful. However a number of tasks are underway to improve the energy efficiency of the new NPL building such as night-time set-back of environmental control, filming of windows and installation of the infrastructure for a ground source heat pump system.

Secondary information