A review of initiatives to reduce energy-related CO2 emissions from the city of Oxford: past, present and future

Dr Rajat Gupta, Department of Architecture, School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom

Keywords

cities, CO2 emissions, GIS-based modelling, climate change action planning, energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy efficiency

Abstract

This paper reviews three key initiatives undertaken in the historical city of Oxford to bring about reductions in energy-related CO2 emissions on a city-wide scale. The author has been part of all the three initiatives. In 2002, a collaborative partnership between academia, industry and city council started the Oxford Solar Initiative (OSI) which uses a community-based approach to help households and organisations in Oxford, financially and technically, to install solar energy systems and energy efficiency measures in buildings. So far OSI has facilitated the installation of 80 active solar systems, over 450 energy efficiency measures and 3,000 low energy bulbs.

The scientific basis of OSI is a GIS-based DECoRuM model which estimates and maps baseline energy use and CO2 emissions on a house-by house level, identifies ‘pollution’ hotspots, predicts the potential for reductions in CO2 emissions and monitors reductions achieved as a result of deploying energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems. The application of DECoRuM model to a case study in Oxford shows that CO2 emission reductions above 60 % are possible, at a cost of between £ 6 to £ 77 per tonne of CO2 emissions saved, depending upon the package of measures used, and the scenario of capital costs (low or high) employed.

The OSI and DECoRuM projects have led to the development of an action-oriented Oxford Climate Change Action Plan (OCCAP) which constructs an accurate CO2 emissions inventory for Oxford city for a baseline year, establishes CO2 reduction targets and proposes action for each of the energy-related sectors to meet those targets. The OCCAP will be implemented by Oxford City Council and provides a useful example for other cities in their endeavour for emission reductions.