Greenhouse gas emissions
Our green action plan is about making green outcomes happen. We are aiming to be:
- carbon-neutral/net-zero by 2030
- carbon net positive by 2050; averting more carbon dioxide (CO2) than we produce.
We are calculating and tracking our carbon footprint to understand the impact our emissions have while monitoring our progress as we strive to reduce those emissions.
Annual reports
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2023 - 2024
The Service is reporting 5,652.3 tCO2e greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2023 / 2024.
The following information supports the stated emissions value.
Organisational information
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is a public body.
Reporting period
The carbon footprint calculation relates to the reporting period 01 April 2023 - 31 March 2024.
Reasons for change in emissions
The main changes in emissions since 2022 / 2023 reporting are:
Scope one missions have decreased overall by 229.3 tCO2e which is attributed to reductions in consumption of diesel (reduced by 147.8 tCO2e), natural gas (reduced by 38.2 tCO2e), burning oil and gas oil (reduced by 6.3 tCO2e) and zero emissions of refrigerant gases (f-gases). Emissions have increased in respect of petrol consumption (increased by 0.5 tCO2e).
Scope two emissions have decreased marginally by 2 tCO2e. Our consumption of electricity reduced by 173,496 kWh, however, in 2023 the UK Electricity CO2e conversion factor increased by 7% (compared to the 2022 figure) due to an increase in natural gas use in electricity generation and a decrease in renewable generation. The conversion therefore meant our overall reduction in emissions were less.
Scope three emissions have increased significantly by 3116.9 tCO2e. The Service has broadened its scope three categories this year, building on previous years data inclusions. The new categories include emissions associated with transmission and distribution losses from purchased electricity and emissions associated with purchased goods and services. Emissions from purchased goods and services now account for the largest proportion of our emissions (an increase of 3142.8 tCO2e). A change in approach to business travel in respect of use of hire cars saw a reduction in associated emissions of 46.6 tCO2e, however a marginal increase was seen in both use of business travel – use of personal vehicles (expense claims) of 1.1 tCO2e and business travel – air, rail and hotel stays of 1.8 tCO2e.
Our total emissions for the period 2023 / 2024 have increased by 2886 tCO2e when compared with the 2022 / 2023 GHG emissions report due to inclusion of a wider scope three data on purchased goods and services.
Quantification and reporting methodology
The Service has followed the UK Government environmental reporting guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-how-to-measure-and-report-your-greenhouse-gas-emissions) to report its scope one, two and three emissions. Presently it is not feasible to report on all categories that may be relevant within scope three. The Service continues to review annually areas for inclusion within scope three and improvement of data quality.
Organisational boundary
The Service has used the Financial Control boundary; reporting on sources of environmental impact over which it has financial control.
GHG scope inclusions
The Service has measured its scope one and scope two emissions and a partial measure of our scope three emissions.
See below for a detailed breakdown of scope inclusions.
Conversion / emission factors used
The Service has applied the UK Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) conversion factors 2023 condensed set (for most users) - updated 28 June 2023, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2023).
GHG emissions country breakdown
The reported emissions are from the Services’ UK operations only; there are no operations in other countries.
Base year
The Service’s base year is 2019 / 2020.
The base year was selected as it represented the first year for which the organisation has reliable data that is typical of our operation.
Base year recalculation policy
The base year recalculation policy will be to recalculate the base year and the prior year emissions for relevant significant changes which meet the significance threshold of 5% of base year emissions.
Targets
The Service has a green goal to be carbon net zero by 2030 and carbon positive by 2050.
Targets will be set, however, at this time a tolerance of 50% reduction of gross scope one, two and three emissions will be considered as a successful achievement towards our 2050 goal.
Progress this year towards achieving reductions has been focussed on;
- identifying and including data for a broader set of scope three emissions
- annual review of the Environmental Aspects and Legislative registers
- annual review of the action plan aligned to ISO14001 standard
- review of the NFCC environmental and sustainability tool kit
- introduction of the first four electric vehicle charging sites and new electric vehicles
- successful application for the Low Carbon Skills Fund grant funding and a further application pending
- development of the Services first heat decarbonisation plan for 13 high-energy use sites
- successful application of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant funding to decarbonise two sites
- environmental survey undertaken on our purchasing practices and behaviours
- introducing HGVs and LGVs (Heavy and Light Goods Vehicles) fleet to latest Euro6 standards
- progressing introduction of a grant funding officer to support implementation of schemes.
Person(s) responsible for achieving target(s) and position in organisation
Nicola Bottomley, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Service Delivery Support, is responsible for the achievement of the target, supported by the Strategic Environmental Board and associated working groups.
Intensity measurement
The Service will use tonnes of CO2e per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) as its chosen intensity measurement for scope one, two and three emissions.
- As of 31 March 2024 there were 1505.34 FTE’s.
- The intensity measurement for this period is 3.8 tCO2e per FTE.
The intensity ratio has increased since the 2022 / 2023 GHG emissions report. The increase is attributed to an overall increase in emissions based on the broader set of Scope three emissions now being reported.
External assurance statement
The Service has not received independent external assurance.
Carbon credits / offsets
None applied this year.
Electricity
Electricity purchased for the Service’s own use or consumption: 2,303.22 MWh
Green tariffs
Electricity purchased is not linked to any green tariffs.
Renewable electricity generation
The Service currently has eighteen on-site solar arrays which can generate and export electricity. This export is not backed by REGOs (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin).
There is one CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit which is gas fired that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
Renewable electricity generated from owned or controlled sources (MWh): generation figure not currently available.
Electricity exported to the grid (MWh): export figure not currently available.
Heat generation
The Service has one Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) which is a gas fired unit that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
The Service has four solar thermal systems installed which can generate heat (for hot water) and twelve air source heat pumps which can generate heat and hot water.
The Service does not currently export heat generation.
Breakdown of operational scopes 2023 - 2024
A breakdown is provided of the inclusions made within each scope for the calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting year.
Scope one
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 1,874.4
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | Gas purchased and used at our premises |
kWh (gross CV) |
0 | none | 527.9 |
| Diesel | Fuel used in our owned transport | Litres | 0 | none | 1,249.0 |
| Petrol | Fuel used in our owned transport | Litres | 0 | none | 12.6 |
| Burning oil | Kerosine purchased for use on our premises | Litres | 0 | none | 18.7 |
| Gas oil | Red diesel used in diesel engines and heating systems | Litres | 0 | none | 66.2 |
Scope two
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 476.9
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | Electricity purchased and used at our premises | kWh (gross CV) |
0 | Minor fluctuations anticipated to consumption figures due to pending invoices. | 476.9 |
Scope three
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 3,300.9
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission and distribution | Emissions impact of the efficiency losses experienced in getting electricity from the power plant to the end user. | kWh (gross CV) | 0 | Minor fluctuations anticipated to consumption figures due to pending invoices. | 41.3 |
| Purchased goods and services | Goods, services and works purchased by the Service. | Spend data | 0 | Calculation is based on published transparency spend data (purchase orders above £500). Potential duplications have been identified and removed. It does not account for spend below £500. | 3,142.8 |
| Water | Supply of water and wastewater treatment from our premises. | Cubic metres (m3) |
0 | none | 5.6 |
| Refuse | General and recycling waste collected and disposed of from our premises. | Tonnes | 0 | Other waste streams yet to be identified and included. | 2.4 |
| Business travel | Flights, rail and overnight accommodation by our staff in support of their operations. | Bookings made | 0 | None | 13.1 |
| Business travel | Our staff travelling on business purposes in their own vehicles. | Miles travelled (expense claims) | 0 | None | 93.6 |
| Business travel | Our staff travelling on business purposes in hired vehicles. | Miles travelled | None | 2.2 |
Total reported metric tonnes of CO2e (scope one, two and three) is 5,652.3
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2022 - 2023
The Service is reporting 2,766.7 tCO2e greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2022 / 2023.
The following information supports the stated emissions value.
Organisational information
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is a public body.
Reporting period
The carbon footprint calculation relates to the reporting period 01 April 2022 - 31 March 2023.
Reasons for change in emissions
The main changes in emissions are:
Scope 1 emissions have decreased by 122 tCO2e which is attributed to changes in set points and clock times on our gas systems (reduction by 119.2 tCO2e), reduced consumption of burning oil and gas oil (reduced by 26.8 tCO2e) and clearer reporting on petrol consumption with hire car refuelling moving to scope 3 emissions. Emissions have increased in respect of diesel (increased by 35.5 tCO2e) and refrigerant gas (increased by 27.5 tCO2e).
Scope 2 emissions have decreased by 22.6 tCO2e which is attributed to the decarbonisation of the national grid as opposed to our own direct consumption of electricity, which has increased.
Scope 3 emissions have increased by 153 tCO2e which is attributed to inclusion of a wider scope 3 data this year. The emissions data now includes business miles travelled by our staff in their own vehicles (92.5 tCO2e), and business travel through use of hire cars (48.8 tCO2e). Improvements have been made in emissions from business travel by air, rail and hotel stays which has reduced by 9.3 tCO2e.
Our total emissions for the period 2022 / 2023 have increased by 8 tCO2e when compared with the 2021 / 2022 GHG emissions report due to inclusion of a wider scope 3 data on business miles and hire vehicles.
Quantification and reporting methodology
The Service has followed the UK Government environmental reporting guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-how-to-measure-and-report-your-greenhouse-gas-emissions) to report its scope one, two and three emissions. Presently it is not feasible to report on all categories that may be relevant within scope three.
Organisational boundary
The Service has used the Financial Control boundary; reporting on sources of environmental impact over which it has financial control.
GHG scope inclusions
The Service has measured its scope one and scope two emissions and a partial measure of our scope three emissions.
See below for a detailed breakdown of scope inclusions.
Conversion / emission factors used
The Service has applied the UK Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) conversion factors 2022 condensed set (for most users) from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2022).
GHG emissions country breakdown
The reported emissions are from the Services’ UK operations only; there are no operations in other countries.
Base year
The Service’s base year is 2019 / 2020.
The base year was selected as it represented the first year for which the organisation has reliable data that is typical of our operation.
Base year recalculation policy
The base year recalculation policy will be to recalculate the base year and the prior year emissions for relevant significant changes which meet the significance threshold of 5% of base year emissions.
Targets
The Service has a green goal to be carbon net zero by 2030 and carbon positive by 2050.
Targets will be set, however, at this time a tolerance of 50% reduction of gross scope one, two and three emissions will be considered as a successful achievement towards our 2050 goal.
Progress this year towards achieving reductions has been focussed on;
- identifying and including data for scope 3 emissions
- implementing an Environmental policy and procedures
- annual review of the Environmental Aspects, Legislative registers
- annual review of the action plan aligned to ISO14001 standard
- review of the UK Climate Risk Assessment
- preparations for implementation of Electric vehicle charging points and introduction of electric vehicles
- undertaking an energy efficiency review across 10 sites (mixed use)
- establishing an environmental protection group (operations)
- supporting the NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council) sustainability and environmental toolkit and group
- planning small reductions in fleet and estates
- introducing HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) fleet to latest Euro6 standards
- implementation of the electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
- delivering environmental awareness training to all staff via e-learning
- applications of grant funding opportunities and reviewing future schemes
Person(s) responsible for achieving target(s) and position in organisation
Gerald Taylor, Director of Service Delivery, is responsible for the achievement of the target, supported by the Strategic Environmental Board and associated working groups.
Intensity measurement
The Service will use tonnes of CO2e per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) as its chosen intensity measurement for scope one, two and three emissions.
- As of 31 March 2023 there were 1553 FTE’s.
- The intensity measurement for this period is 1.8 tCO2e per FTE.
The intensity ratio has increased since the 2021 /2022 GHG emissions report. The increase is attributed to an overall reduction of 72 FTE’s and the increase of 8 tCO2e in our emissions.
External assurance statement
The Service has not received independent external assurance.
Carbon credits / offsets
None applied this year.
Electricity
Electricity purchased for the Service’s own use or consumption: 2,476.71 MWh
Green tariffs
Electricity purchased is not linked to any green tariffs.
Renewable electricity generation
The Service currently have 18 on-site solar arrays which can generate and export electricity. This export is not backed by REGOs (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin).
There is also one Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) which is gas fired that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
Renewable electricity generated from owned or controlled sources (MWh): generation figure not currently available.
Electricity exported to the grid (MWh): export figure not currently available.
Heat generation
The Service has one Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) which is a gas fired unit that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
The Service has four solar thermal systems installed which can generate heat (for hot water) and twelve air source heat pumps which can generate heat and hot water.
The Service does not currently export heat generation.
Breakdown of operational scopes 2022 - 2023
A breakdown is provided of the inclusions made within each scope for the calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting year.
Scope one
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 2,103.7
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | Gas purchased and used at our premises. |
kWh (gross CV) |
0 | none | 566.1 |
| Diesel | Fuel used in our owned transport. | Litres | 0 | none | 1,396.8 |
| Petrol | Fuel used in our owned transport. | Litres | 0 | none | 12.1 |
| Burning oil | Kerosine purchased for use on our premises. | Litres | 0 | none | 11.0 |
| Gas oil | Red diesel used in diesel engines and heating systems. | Litres | 0 | none | 80.2 |
| F-gas | Refrigerant top-ups to our air conditioning systems. | kg | 0 | none | 37.5 |
Scope two
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 478.9
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | Electricity purchased and used at our premises | kWh (gross CV) |
0 | Minor fluctuations anticipated to March 2023 consumption figures due to pending invoices. | 478.9 |
Scope three
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 184.0
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Supply of water and wastewater treatment from our premises. | Cubic metres (m3) |
0 | none | 28.9 |
| Refuse | General and recycling waste collected and disposed of from our premises. | Tonnes | 0 | Other waste streams yet to be identified and included. | 2.6 |
| Business travel | Flights, rail and overnight accommodation by our staff in support of their operations. | Bookings made | 0 | None | 11.3 |
| Business travel | Our staff travelling on business purposes in their own vehicles. | Miles travelled (expense claims) | 0 | None | 92.5 |
| Business travel | Our staff travelling on business purposes in hired vehicles. | Miles travelled | None | 48.8 |
Total reported metric tonnes of CO2e (scope one, two and three) is 2,766.7
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report 2021 - 2022
The Service is reporting 2,758.4 tCO2e greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2021 / 2022.
The following information supports the stated emissions value.
Organisational information
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is a public body.
Reporting period
The carbon footprint calculation relates to the reporting period 01 April 2021 - 31 March 2022.
Reasons for change in emissions
Over the last 12 months, the Service has calculated its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 as a baseline. The Service has also calculated the GHG emissions for the latest financial year (2021/2022) which is reported for the first time in this greenhouse gas emissions report.
The Service has seen a change in our scope one and scope two GHG emissions over the three financial years (please refer to graph in Annex A). When comparing the GHG emissions of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 a reduction in emissions was observed and this is predominantly linked to the impact of the pandemic; remote working coupled with a degree of reduced building occupation led to reductions in natural gas and electricity consumption in our premises, as well as a reduction in fuel consumption through reduced use of Service vehicles.
There has been an increase in GHG emissions when comparing the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 calculations which is linked to the return post-pandemic and hybrid working. Whilst the 2021/2022 emissions have increased, they have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Quantification and reporting methodology
The Service has followed the UK Government environmental reporting guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-how-to-measure-and-report-your-greenhouse-gas-emissions) to report its scope one, two and three emissions. Presently it is not feasible to report on all categories that may be relevant within scope three.
Organisational boundary
The Service has used the Financial Control boundary; reporting on sources of environmental impact over which it has financial control.
GHG scope inclusions
The Service has measured its scope one and scope two emissions and a limited measure of our scope three emissions.
See below for a detailed breakdown of scope inclusions.
Conversion / emission factors used
The Service has applied the UK Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) conversion factors 2021 condensed set (for most users) – revised January 2022 from BEIS.
GHG emissions country breakdown
The reported emissions are from the Services’ UK operations only; there are no operations in other countries.
Base year
The Service’s base year is 2019 / 2020.
The base year was selected as it represented the first year for which the organisation has reliable data that is typical of our operation.
Base year recalculation policy
The base year recalculation policy will be to recalculate the base year and the prior year emissions for relevant significant changes which meet the significance threshold of 5% of base year emissions.
Targets
The Service has a green goal to be carbon net zero by 2030 and carbon positive by 2050.
Targets will be set, however, at this time a tolerance of 50% reduction of gross scope one, two and three emissions will be considered as a successful achievement towards our 2050 goal.
Progress this year towards achieving reductions has been focussed on;
- identifying consumption data and the current position
- developing the action plan to align with the ISO14001 standard
- increasing compliance with environmental legislation at Service premises and in operations
- implementing a structure of governance to deliver the green goals
- the introduction of 20 new HGV vehicles to Euro 6 standards
- disposal of older HGV vehicles
- introducing telematics across a number of light and support fleet
- reducing the number of mini-buses from 11 to 4
- identifying and progressing the core reduction projects within Estates.
Person(s) responsible for achieving target(s) and position in organisation
Director of Service Improvement is responsible for the achievement of the target, supported by the Strategic Environmental Board and associated working groups.
Intensity measurement
The Service will use tonnes of CO2e per Full Time Equivalent (FTE) as its chosen intensity measurement for scope one, two and three emissions.
- As of 31 March 2022 there were 1625 FTE’s.
- The intensity measurement for this period is 1.7 tCO2e per FTE.
This is the first year calculating and reporting an intensity measurement, therefore there are no changes to report.
External assurance statement
The Service has not received independent external assurance.
Carbon credits / offsets
None applied this year.
Electricity
Electricity purchased for the Service’s own use or consumption: 2,361.78 MWh
Green tariffs
Electricity purchased is not linked to any green tariffs.
Renewable electricity generation
The Service currently have sixteen on-site solar arrays which can generate and export electricity. This export is not backed by REGOs.
There is also one Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) which is a gas fired unit that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
Renewable electricity generated from owned or controlled sources (MWh): generation figure not currently available.
Electricity exported to the grid (MWh): export figure not currently available.
Heat generation
The Service has one Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) which is a gas fired unit that is primarily used for heat generation but also generates electricity which is exported.
The Service has four solar thermal systems installed which can generate heat (for hot water) and twelve (12) air source heat pumps which can generate heat and hot water.
The Service does not currently export heat generation.
Breakdown of operational scopes 2021 - 2022
A breakdown is provided of the inclusions made within each scope for the calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting year.
Scope one
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 2,225.9
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | Gas purchased and used at our premises. |
kWh (gross CV) |
0 | none | 685.3 |
| Diesel | Fuel used in our owned transport. | Litres | 0 | none | 1,361.3 |
| Petrol | Fuel used in our owned transport. | Litres | 0 | none | 51.3 |
| Burning oil | Kerosine purchased for use on our premises. | Litres | 0 | none | 15.0 |
| Gas oil | Red diesel used in diesel engines and heating systems. | Litres | 0 | none | 103.0 |
| F-gas | Refrigerant top-ups to our air conditioning systems. | kg | 0 | none | 10.0 |
Scope two
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 501.5
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | Electricity purchased and used at our premises | kWh (gross CV) |
0 | Minor fluctuations anticipated to March 2022 consumption figures due to pending invoices. | 501.5 |
Scope three
Total metric tonnes of CO2e is 31.0
| Item | Description | Calculation | % of data estimated | exclusions | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Supply of water and wastewater treatment from our premises. | Cubic metres (m3) |
0 | none | 685.3 |
| Refuse | General and recycling waste collected and disposed of from our premises. | Tonnes | 0 | Other waste streams yet to be identified and included. | 1,361.3 |
| Business travel | Flights, rail and overnight accommodation by our staff in support of their operations. | Bookings made | 0 | Land travel (car hire and business travel by staff in their own vehicles) is currently excluded. Refuelling of vehicles (such as car hire) through fuel cards captured in scope one fuel consumption – intention to break this out in future reporting. | 51.3 |
Total reported metric tonnes of CO2e (scope one, two and three) is 2,758.4
Greenhouse gas emissions year on year comparison
| Financial year | Metric tonnes of CO2e |
|---|---|
| 2023 - 2024 | 5,652 |
| 2022 - 2023 | 2,766 |
| 2021 - 2022 | 2,758 |
| 2020 - 2021 | 2,541 |
| 2019 - 2020 | 3,195 |