Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what type of heating system is the primary source of heating at (a) Chequers, (b) Dorneywood, (c) Chevening House, (d) 10 Downing Street, (e) 11 Downing Street and (f) 1 Carlton Gardens; and what fuel is used by those heating systems.

The Cabinet Office does not manage or occupy 1 Carlton Gardens or the Chequers, Dorneywood and Chevening Estates.

The buildings at 10 to 12 Downing Street were originally built in the 1680s, with extensive works undertaken in the Georgian era. They are Grade 1 listed. Maintaining and updating these historic buildings, whilst protecting the integrity of that heritage, presents distinct challenges.

Its primary source of heating is from the Whitehall Campus District Heating System which distributes heating to premises in the Whitehall estate.

The Downing Street estate has already taken a number of eco-friendly measures such as a full rainwater harvesting system for the gardens, and low-energy and motion detecting lighting throughout, whilst preserving the heritage of the listed buildings. It has three electric vehicle charging points.

In 2013, No.10 won an award for sustainability improvements to the building. BRE Environmental Assessment Method named it as the best for year-over-year improvements out of 800 other candidates.

The property also has a Display Energy Certificate, which is for the whole building (not just the residences). The current rating is “E”, up from “F” the previous year.

In line with the Prime Minister’s ambition for the UK to be a global leader in clean, green technology and sustainable living, the Cabinet Office is looking to build on these measures in the future. This includes exploring the scope for heat pumps when the boilers reach the end of their working life and making greater use of renewable energy sources.

As noted in the recent Heating and Building Strategy, the Government has made strong progress on reducing emissions in the Government estate by 50 per cent over 10 years through energy efficiency and green measures. The Strategy sets out a gradual fourteen-year transition to low carbon heating systems and we are investing a further £1.4 billion over the next 3 years in reducing emissions from public sector buildings.