GREEN INITIATIVES: TIME-LINE
The Royal Household has been working on reducing its energy consumption for more than a decade. The following initiatives have been introduced over time:
1981: The Duke of Edinburgh becomes President of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) International.
1985: A computerised Building Management System (BMS) is installed to control heating and power systems around Buckingham Palace, enabling these systems to be reviewed and adjusted so that they are running at maximum efficiency. This system has been improved annually.
1991: Buckingham Palace Garden starts recycling 99% of green waste (grass cuttings, twigs, branches, cuttings) on site, including waste from St James’s Palace and Kensington Palace.
1994/95: Combined heat and power plants (CHP) installed at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace to generate electricity and improve energy efficiency in heating hot water. The use of this technology was just being introduced into office and residential buildings.
1995: Heat resonance imaging used to highlight areas of major heat loss and reduce this through double glazing of skylights.
1998: The Queen’s State cars – a Rolls Royce, a Daimler limousine, and a Rover 400 converted to LPG. The Duke of Edinburgh starts to use LPG-fuelled taxi to travel around London.
1998: Use of peat stopped on Palace gardens.
2000: Recycling of all Christmas trees from the London Palaces begins, including trees from all staff and private residences.
2001: Buckingham Palace “energy saving committee” formed to look at ways of reducing energy consumption.
2001: Use of bio diesel and biodegradable lubricants/oils introduced for lawn mowers, tractors and machinery.
2002: The Queen is presented with a dual-fuel Bentley to mark the Golden Jubilee.
2002: Buckingham Palace installs a bore hole in the garden to address environmental issue of rising water levels and utilises the water to cool condenser units that supply air-conditioning to The Queen’s Gallery.
2004: Plans for hydro-electric schemes at Windsor Castle and Balmoral unveiled. The Balmoral turbine started producing electricity in September/October 2005. The Windsor scheme has now been postponed.
2005: Buckingham Palace installs a new combined heat and power unit (CHP) to generate electricity and further improve energy efficiency in heating hot water. LED low energy bulbs installed where possible throughout Buckingham Palace.
2005: Buckingham Palace starts recycling computers so that nothing goes to landfill. To date, 250 PCs, 200 monitors and 65 printers have been reused in developing countries or sent to waste management depots.
2006: New combined heat and power unit installed at Windsor Castle. “Green Champions” appointed in all departments at Buckingham Palace to manage recycling and energy efficiency.
2006: Balmoral estate aims to become energy self-sufficient. It has a comprehensive bio-diversity action plan. Sandringham Estate produces organic vegetables and fruit on its arable farmland and meadows. Its produces apple juice which uses only vitamin C as preservatives.
2007: Buckingham Palace will extend use of bore hole water to cool the wine cellars instead of using conventional methods. There are also plans to connect the borehole water to the garden irrigation system, greatly reducing reliance on Thames Water.
A Green Committee is formed at Windsor Castle.
There are plans to further extend the use of the bore hole for irrigation of Buckingham Palace gardens.
‘Green Champions’ volunteer their time for ‘London Better Together Day’, organised by one of The Prince of Wales’ core charities, Business in the Community. On 15 June 2007, Royal Household employees transformed the nursery garden at Vittoria Primary School in Islington to create a safe, bright and educational garden in an area of mainly high-rise social housing.