Net Zero by SCAPE

Low carbon energy

You can help to reduce local and national emissions by developing an energy strategy and procuring low carbon power.

An Energy Procurement Policy is key to reducing carbon emissions across your estate and influencing the future emissions from grid electricity in the UK.

Clean, green energy

Cutting your own carbon emissions and influencing national emissions.

As a member of the UK Green Building Council, we fully endorse their guidance on renewable electricity procurement.

It advocates a continuous transition towards renewable energy generation across the national grid.

But the importance of the individual procurement decisions made by building owners in driving this change, cannot be understated.

SCAPE Scotland Consultancy | Place Shaping partner Arup can support the development of an energy strategy that will help you to accelerate the decarbonisation of your estate, with confidence.

The fundamentals

Our Place Shaping framework partner Arup can help you develop an organisational energy strategy and policy to aid the decarbonisation of your property portfolio.

Energy procurement decision making is really important because:

Carbon emissions linked to your use of grid-supplied energy falls into Scope 2 (indirect emissions) of your statutory organisational carbon reporting duties;
To ensure your buildings are truly net zero in operation, you must address the emissions associated with the generation of the energy used by the building

Maximise efficiency, minimise demand
Generate onsite where possible
Procure effectively
Measure and verify use

The UKGBC's definition

For net zero electricity, the UKGBC guidance identifies three principles which are crucial in choosing your supplier and tariff:

You should ensure the energy you use has been generated from renewable sources and your supplier holds certificates that demonstrate zero emissions are produced for the same amount of energy. You need both, because energy suppliers can buy zero emissions certificates separately to the actual energy they supply you with.

These considerations are addressed through the OFGEM's Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origins (REGO) certification scheme. A REGO certificate represents the ‘energy attribute’, i.e., zero emissions, associated with each 1MWh of renewable energy.

Choosing a tariff that is 100% backed by sufficient REGO certificates is the best way to ensure all your requirements are met by the supplier's renewable generation capacity.

Minimise demand
Generate locally, if possible
Buy certified renewable
Seek additionality

Routes to market

To develop procurement solutions that fully meet the UKGBC criteria and support our vision for enabling net zero buildings, we are working in partnership with other public sector procurement organisations.

Energy procurement is a specialised category which you should consider external support if you are not experienced in. We are exploring partnerships to put in place an energy procurement solution for you which is compliant with the UKGBC guidance.

If this is your strategic priority, or if you want to enhance your energy supply arrangements, our Consultancy framework partners can advise you on the best route to market. We recommend the energy procurement services and frameworks provided by our public sector partners at ESPO and NEPO, or the Scottish Government's Electricity Framework.

ESPO
NEPO
Scottish Government's Electricity Framework

The concept of 'additionality'

To achieve the UKGBC net zero standard, your energy supplier should deliver additionality; this means your electricity purchasing decision should contribute to the creation of additional renewable generating capacity on the grid in the future.

Most green electricity tariffs will satisfy the first considerations. There are fewer options for choosing a tariff that can also demonstrate additionality in the UK market.

Selecting for additionality means that even if you can not afford or practically deliver renewable energy on your own sites, you are contributing to growth of renewable energy in the UK.

Energy procurement

Energy is a specialised category and you should consider external support if you are not experienced in this field.

At this time, we would recommend the energy procurement frameworks provided by our public sector colleagues at ESPO and NEPO, as compliant routes to market. Both organisations are able to offer REGO backed renewable energy sources, with NEPO additionally being able to offer Zero Carbon (Nuclear) backed energy.

Visit ESPO

Visit NEPO

Start your net zero journey

Our teams are ready to support your transition to net zero.

To discuss the next steps, please get in touch.