A pioneering new online energy tool has been launched in Nottingham, England that can help residents make big savings on their energy bills. The Nottingham Energy Calculator allows residents to select their property and return information on the savings which insulation, double glazing, new boilers and solar panels can bring. It also provides an interactive map which shows planning constraints and other existing renewable installations across the city.

The interactive energy tool, is underpinned by the council’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) together with other Ordnance Survey Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) products which are freely available to the whole of the public sector.

The Energy Calculator has been developed by Nottingham City Council, working with Nottingham Energy Partnership and other selected organisations including ESRI UK. It has been developed as part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Local Carbon Frameworks projects and supports Nottingham’s key energy ambitions; specifically to reduce 2005 carbon dioxide emissions by twenty-six percent and generate twenty percent of all energy and heat from low carbon and renewable sources.

Integrating the LLPG and OS MasterMap with additional intelligence from third party suppliers, alongside data and survey results from strategic partners, has allowed the development of a definitive and reliable property level database. This includes property type and age, building footprint area, average height and gas supply, as well as solar energy generation calculations and viability flags for other types of green energy installations. The comprehensive dataset and associated modelling also underpins a dynamic mapping tool which aides strategic decision making and planning in relation to renewable energy installation, for example identifying suitable sites for large scale wind and de-centralised heating systems.

“Our energy tools are an innovative way of tackling the need to reduce the city’s carbon emissions, increase the energy independence of the city and help our citizens save money on their energy bills,” commented Councillor Alan Clark, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability. “The Nottingham Energy Calculator will help us raise awareness of the practical steps citizens can take in their own homes.”

The Nottingham Energy Mapping project recently achieved Runner Up in the 2011 National Gazetteers Green Exemplar Award. The 2011 Exemplar Awards were presented by GeoPlace and aim to share, reward and celebrate best practice for projects which bring service improvements and efficiencies through the effective management of address and street information.

For further information see www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/energycalculator

CONTACTS:

GeoPlace contact: Gayle Gander, Head of Marketing, tel: +44 (0)207 747 3500, E-mail: gayle.gander@geoplace.co.uk, Web: www.geoplace.co.uk For more information about Local Land and Property Gazetteers, please see www.nlpg.org.uk.