The Office of Government Property (OGP) was established in 2010. The unit exists to support ​government and the wider public sector to manage their estate more efficiently and effectively, helping to deliver public services and supporting the government’s priorities by making the best use of public assets, unlocking surplus land for housing and regeneration, and encouraging the creation of public service jobs outside London to support economic growth.

In 2022 the Government Property Strategy 2022 – 2030 was launched.  Mission Two set out that a shift was needed to “a higher quality, fit for purpose, shared, more efficient, productive and sustainable estate, which is smaller, better and greener.”

The innovation

Being able to analyse data about carbon emissions across the government estate is a crucial part of the role of the OGP to support the transition to a greener estate.

This project aimed to collect consistent high-quality data about central Government buildings, their energy use, and emissions from government departments for the first time, and provide departments and the OGP a tool to consistently analyse that data.

The aim was that the tool would enable departments to understand their route to a Net Zero estate more clearly, and furnish the OGP with the aggregated data, supporting their strategic thinking at the heart of government.

The challenge

A tool was required that was accessible by government departments and was quick and easy to use. The aim was to increase the likelihood that departments would engage with the tool and treat it as supplemental to their work.

The tool needed to enable departmental data to be aggregated and analysed by the OGP. It is critical that the OGP are able to get a handle on the position of the overall estate.

The solution

The solution built is a downloadable Excel tool hosted on the Government Property Portal accompanied by a user manual and information about how the tool works and the calculations it is making.

The Excel tool can import and validate building-by-building data from departments, including building type, energy and fuel use, floor area, and the condition of the buildings or import data at a more aggregated level for the OGP. It supports a wide range of input data, converting units and making data comparable, and flagging when data might be missing or incorrect.

Once imported the tool enables the user to interrogate the status quo and model different scenarios for decarbonising their buildings by allowing the user to apply interventions to their buildings. This includes technologies like heat pumps, LED lighting and solar PV. It can also be used by departments to collect data from their agencies in a similar way, giving a consistent reporting framework for energy, emissions and costs to reach Net Zero.

The outputs include projected cost and carbon savings from modelled scenarios, giving departments an understanding of the impacts of technologies and the investments needed to reach Net Zero.

The tool enables a department to send this information to the OGP with one click. The OGP can aggregate the data from departments and build the overall picture of the estate, knowing that the data, including costs, is in a consistent format.

Impact

As well as giving departments a consistent way to collect and analyse their data, it will enable the OGP to address strategic questions such as the total cost to decarbonise the government estate and the volume of technologies that need to be procured.

This could open up opportunities for joint procurement and closer working between departments with similar estates and challenges and give the government more confidence about its progress towards reaching Net Zero.

Next steps

After delivering the tool we are providing ongoing support to the OGP to enable the smooth implementation with Departments. This included contributing to briefing sessions with other government departments, providing demonstrations and training on the use of the tool and making any minor changes that were required. We also plant to provide support analysing the incoming data.

Client testimonial

“The Office of Government Property selected Energy Systems Catapult through a competitive procurement process to develop a cutting-edge tool for charting the government’s path to estate decarbonisation. Leveraging their expertise and collaborative approach, the Catapult team worked closely with the OGP and key government stakeholders to deliver the Property Emissions Reduction Calculator – a high-quality, innovative solution. Throughout the project, the Catapult consistently provided exceptional support, ensuring a successful outcome and setting a high standard for partnership and delivery.”