Our energy use

Our annual energy consumption and plans to reduce our energy use.


Our annual energy use

We’re responsible for energy use at over 500 sites. Each year we:

  • use around 21.6 million kilowatt hours of energy or 21.6 gigawatt hours of energy
  • use around 50,000 cubic meters of water
  • travel around 18.5 million miles (29.8 million kilometres)

We also aim to promote safe and sustainable road use in Great Britain. We set standards for driving and motorcycling, ensure that drivers, vehicle operators and MOT garages understand and comply with roadworthiness standards, and provide a range of licensing, testing, education and enforcement services. Through this we seek to influence behaviour for the better throughout driving and riding careers.

Our plans to reduce our energy use

By 2016 our staff will operate energy efficient sites and travel using low carbon vehicles.

We’ll accurately monitor our energy consumption and travel. This will allow us to report in real-time and to help us make decisions that affect our carbon performance.

How we’re doing this

Our top 5 approaches to make our organisation more energy efficient are:

  • adhering to government requirements including the Greening Government Commitments

  • meeting all current and foreseen environmental legal requirements and related official codes of practice, and requiring our contractors to do the same

  • effectively communicating with all staff and contractors on environmental policy and performance

  • making sure that the goods and services we buy support our environmental objectives wherever practicable and encouraging our suppliers and contractors to improve their own environmental performance

  • monitoring and continually improving our energy consumption and business related travel

Our environmental sustainability policy statement provides details of our plans for reducing our energy use.