FOI 46-22: Utility bills in Parliament Buildings

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FOI 46-22

26 September 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 6 September 2022 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your request, you asked:

“I am after the electricity/gas/oil bills for Parliament Buildings for each month in the last 24 - or quarterly if that's how they are paid please.

Could you also list the suppliers please?

And can you also tell me what renewables are fed into the system and how much of the power needed they provide please.”

 

The Assembly Commission holds information in relation to your request. Please see the attached information at Appendix A.

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 may appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF which will undertake an independent review.

The Assembly Commission may publish details of your FOI request and its 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

“1. I am after the electricity/gas/oil bills for Parliament Buildings for each month in the last 24”

MonthElectricityGas

Sep-20

*-£9,235

*-£2,081

Oct-20

£20,773

£13,163

Nov-20

£23,000

£4,955

Dec-20

£18,000

£9,000

Jan-21

£6,500

£14,788

Feb-21

£26,741

£12,095

Mar-21

£24,007

£8,617

Apr-21

£13,889

£6,750

May-21

£13,000

£10,163

Jun-21

£3,842

£14,969

Jul-21

£16,574

£10,805

Aug-21

£12,000

*-£833

Sep-21

£18,026

£6,305

Oct-21

£12,944

£7,995

Nov-21

£31,560

£14,265

Dec-21

£25,000

£53,072

Jan-22

£58,999

£36,513

Feb-22

£13,225

£50,098

Mar-22

£18,144

£36,262

Apr-22

£30,000

£40,000

May-22

£51,654

£11,958

Jun-22

£54,504

*-£3,308

Jul-22

£41,000

£11,089

Aug-22

£46,152

£8,099

Total

£570,299

£374,740

* Each month, the Assembly Commission makes a prudent estimate of the value of goods and services that have been provided but have not yet been invoiced. This accrued expenditure is then offset against the invoiced amounts in a subsequent month(s). Where the accrued amount is over-stated, this can then show as a negative figure in the reported expenditure for the subsequent month. Electricity invoices for the months of May 22 to August 22 are awaited and therefore the amounts included for these months are estimates.

 

“2. Could you also list the suppliers please?”

The suppliers are Firmus (Gas) and the Department of Finance (Electricity).

 

“3. Can you also tell me what renewables are fed into the system and how much of the power needed they provide please?”

In 2017 solar thermal tubes, PV panels and rain water harvesting were installed on the roof and in an average year the PV panels are capable of providing 1.7% of the power required for the building.

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