Carbon Reduction Plan

Commitment to achieving Net Zero

West Mercia Energy is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030.

Baseline Emissions Footprint

Baseline emissions are a record of the greenhouse gases that have been produced in the past and were produced prior to the introduction of any strategies to reduce emissions. Baseline emissions are the reference point against which emissions reduction can be measured.

Current Emissions Reporting

Scope 2 emissions are calculated using both a location-based and market-based methodology. Location-based emissions are based on grid average emission factors for countries or regions, whereas the market-based emissions take into consideration contractual arrangements when purchasing electricity (e.g. certified renewable energy contracts).

Emissions reduction targets

West Mercia Energy is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030. Our current carbon footprint is relatively small, with a large proportion of emissions occurring within scope 3. Given the significant challenges in further reducing emissions over which WME does not have direct control, we anticipate that to achieve Net Zero will require the purchase of carbon credits to offset our emissions. In the coming months we will be following the lead of our member authorities in determining what is an appropriate offsetting scheme and using this to inform our selection of an offsetting partner.

Additionally, we anticipate that our location-based emissions for Scope 2 will decrease through specific action taken to replace existing lighting in our office with LED lighting, and through the general effect of the UK’s overall energy mix moving more towards renewable energy impacting the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting.

The below graph shows our emissions for baseline and reporting years, as well as forecasts for next year and our target Net Zero year, with anticipated offsetting taken into account.

Carbon Reduction Projects

WME has set a hierarchy of priorities for achieving carbon net zero:

1. CALCULATE
2. AVOID
3. REDUCE
4. OFFSET

Calculate – our carbon footprint. Our base year is 2022/23, and we commit to calculating our carbon footprint every year going forward. This ensures that future changes in emissions are recorded and can be reviewed.

Reduce – we will reduce carbon emissions where possible. This means minimising the emissions in our operations and being as energy efficient as possible. WME is committed to purchasing 100% of its grid electricity from renewable sources through buying REGO certificates, and the energy efficiency of hardware is a key factor when making procurement decisions regarding new IT equipment, along with balancing the benefit of replacing existing hardware with more efficient hardware against the environmental impact associated with disposing of used hardware. Additionally, we are undertaking a project in 24/25 to replace all remaining CFL lightbulbs in our office with LEDs.

Offset – we will use offsetting as a last resort for our hard-to-abate emissions. We accept that some emissions are unavoidable and cannot be removed from our business operations. This is especially true for scope 3 emissions, as we have influence, but not direct control, over how and when scope 3 emissions occur. We are actively investigating options for offsetting our carbon footprint through purchasing carbon credits from accredited providers and will be liaising closely with our member authorities on how best to achieve this given the complexities of measuring and quantifying carbon offsets.

Declaration and Sign Off

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been completed in accordance with PPN 06/21 and associated guidance and reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans.

Emissions have been reported and recorded in accordance with the published reporting standard¹ for Carbon Reduction Plans and the GHG Reporting Protocol corporate standard² and uses the appropriate Government emission conversion factors for greenhouse gas company reporting³.

Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions have been reported in accordance with SECR requirements, and the required subset of Scope 3 emissions have been reported in accordance with the published reporting standard for Carbon Reduction Plans and the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard⁴.

Scope 2 emissions are calculated using both a location-based and market-based methodology. Location-based emissions are based on grid average emission factors for countries or regions, whereas the market-based emissions take into consideration contractual arrangements when purchasing electricity (e.g. certified renewable energy contracts).

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been reviewed and signed off by the WME Managing Director.

Signed on behalf of WME:

Nigel Evans, Managing Director

Date: 18th December 2024

¹https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/991625/PPN_0621_Technical_standard_for_the_Completion_of_Carbon_Reduction_Plans__2_.pdf

²https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard

³https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting

⁴https://ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard