Energy use in council buildings

Request data on energy consumption and carbon emissions from council buildings.

Councils operate hundreds of buildings, from offices and schools to leisure centres and depots. This data shows how much energy they use and whether consumption is falling in line with climate targets.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The total energy consumption across all council-owned or operated buildings, broken down by energy type (electricity, gas, oil, other). 2. The total cost of energy for all council buildings. 3. The total carbon emissions from council buildings, in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. 4. A list of the ten highest energy-consuming buildings by total kWh. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local council’s estates or sustainability team. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • This is environmental information, so it falls under the EIR rather than FOISA. You do not need to give a reason for your request.
  • Councils report carbon emissions through the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Reporting. These reports are published on the Sustainable Scotland Network website, so check there first.
  • If you want data on a specific building (e.g. a named school or leisure centre), name it in the request.
  • The top ten list in item 4 helps identify which buildings are the biggest energy users without requiring a full building-by-building breakdown.