Reporting Resource use

We are responsible for the energy and water used in the common (landlord-controlled) areas of our multi-let properties. We use energy to power lighting, heating, ventilation and cooling, and for cleaning activities. We use water for domestic facilities, cooling and landscape watering.

Our property teams and managing agents record energy and water information on our extranet, the Portal. The information covers the internal and external common areas of our multi-let properties; these are the areas where, as landlord, we control usage and can directly effect improvements.

For the period April 2005 to March 2006 resource use figures were calculated according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) guidelines for companies’ environmental reporting.

During 2005/6 we were responsible for resource use and associated carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the common areas of 96 multi-let properties, of which 85% (82 properties) recorded resource use information on the Portal for that period. The figures in this report are based on this information. The 14 properties that did not record this information were excluded from resource use analysis and reporting.

Reporting of resource usage in the common areas of each of the 82 properties varied, largely due to variation in the types of resource used in the common areas of each property, with most properties using electricity and fewer properties using water, gas and oil:

• 78 properties reported electricity data
• 30 properties reported water data
• 24 properties reported gas use data
• 1 property reported oil data.

Where meaningful we have compared 2005/6 data with 2004/5 and 2003/4 data. Year on year comparisons are, however, not straightforward because we frequently buy and sell properties. Total consumption and emissions can therefore be affected by transactions as well as changes in consumption. During the 2005/6 reporting period, 25 of the 82 properties that reported resource use data were sold and two were bought. Their contributions to water use and CO₂ emissions are included in this report.

In 2005/6 we were responsible for resource use in the common areas of 96 multi-let properties. This is an increase from 94 in 2004/5 and 93 in 2003/4. However, the percentage of properties that provided data dropped from 90% in 2004/5 to 85% in 2005/6. This is largely due to additional properties confirmed as having a common area experiencing difficulties separating occupier and landlord usage.

This year’s dataset represents information reported from properties with a total common floor area of 1.49 million m². This is an increase from 1.05 million m² in 2004/5 and 0.90 million m² in 2003/4.