Annual utility cost and kWhs used for Assembly Buildings at Stormont for the last ten years

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FOI 60-21

1 February 2022

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”)

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 10 December 2021 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your request, you asked:

“I’d like to know the annual utility cost and kWhs used for Assembly

Buildings at Stormont for the last 10 years (broken down by electricity

and gas). If you could clarify if the gas is used for heating, hot water and

cooking and the breakdown of these if that’s known, that would be great too.

I’d also like to know what the occupancy of the building has been like

since the covid pandemic hit in March 2020 until present day.”

The tables at Appendix A show the electricity and gas usage and costs for Parliament Buildings for the last 10 years. Parliament Buildings is heated mainly by gas, supplemented by some electric heaters. Hot water is also provided primarily by gas. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the usage or costs for these specific costs.

Although precise figures are not available, the occupancy levels in the building during the pandemic are estimated to be in the region of one third to half normal capacity.

You have the right to request a formal review by the Assembly Commission and if you wish to do so, please write to me at the above address.

If after such an internal review you are still unhappy with the response, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF who will undertake an independent review.

The Assembly Commission may publish details of your FOI request and our official response within the organisational disclosure log. The request will be completely anonymised and you will not be identified in any way. This is to meet the requirements as laid out by in the agreed publication scheme with the Information Commissioners’ Office.

Yours sincerely

INFORMATION STANDARDS

Appendix A

Electricity usage and costs for Parliament Buildings for the last 10 years

Gas usage and costs for Parliament Buildings for the last 10 years