Carbon emissions are directly related to power consumption. The government calculates a figure called the grid electricity emission factor and is expressed as kgCO2e/kWh.

With the growth of renewable energy and closure of coal-fired power stations, the figure has fallen in recent years and is forecast to continue to fall. Investment in renewable energy is partially funded through levies applied to electricity bills – so as investment increases electricity costs rise, but carbon emissions fall.

With falling emission factors our carbon emissions are set to fall by 43% by 2020 and a further 29% up to 2025. We have included proposals for renewable energy schemes over the five years to 2020 to ensure a further reduction in carbon emissions.

The opportunities for a water only company to generate electricity are limited to wind and solar. We will be installing solar panels at some of our sites to reduce electricity taken from the electricity grid and further reduce emissions.