Net Zero Estate Playbook

Tuesday 23rd November 2021 Written Statements

[The Paymaster General (Michael Ellis)]

My noble Friend the Minister for Efficiency and Transformation (Lord Agnew Kt) has today made the following written statement:



I am pleased today to formally launch the new Net Zero Estate Playbook.

Decarbonising the public estate will play a pivotal role in our fight against climate change. With more than 300,000 individual properties, at a combined value of £515 billion, the UK public sector manages, by some distance, the largest property portfolio in the country.

Operating at this scale means that every decision we make and every improvement we implement has an impact. We must go beyond decarbonising our own estate, by leading from the front, setting an example, and bringing industry with us.

There is a very clear direction set out for Government property. We are steadily working towards creating a greener public estate. Since 2010, we have reduced carbon emissions by 50%, but there remains much more work to do.

We have made significant progress on encouraging collaboration and co-location between parts of the public sector. We are working to improve maintenance, insulation, and efficiency across the public estate. We are prioritising retrofitting existing buildings where we can, and adopting modern and sustainable methods of construction where we need new buildings.

This Net Zero Estate Playbook is about helping us go further, and faster. It’s a guide, to support every Government organisation. It takes best practice from around the UK, aligning with Government policy and bringing the best advice into one place to inform and improve sustainability strategies and simplify the path to net zero.

It provides, for the first time, a methodical step-by-step guide to help Government property professionals decarbonise their estate. A copy of the Net Zero Estate Playbook has been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS412]