Swansea exceeds UK average on public energy buying

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‘Jaw-dropping’ variations in public sector spending on energy: costs including the Ministry of Justice, the BBC and HS2 all revealed for the second year running in investigation by Box Power CIC 

Public sector bodies such as local authorities, Government departments and national institutions are spending vastly different amounts on their energy, with some paying significantly more than others, an investigation by not-for-profit energy consultancy, Box Power CIC using freedom of information laws and accounts analysis has found. 

Box Power CIC believes for there to be accountability and scrutiny of the public purse there must be transparency and disclosure, so for the second year running it is lifting the lid on whether public sector bodies are spending less on energy the past tax year. 

The report lays bare the £4.3 billion of energy costs spent by 400 public sector organisations from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. Last year, these public sector organisations spent £3.7 billion on energy. 

It reveals the energy costs of local authorities along with major institutions such as the BBC, the Ministry of Justice, Channel 4, Post Office, OFCOM, British Library, the embattled HS2 rail project and emergency services across the UK. 

Like last year, when Box Power CIC revealed local authority price differentials amounting to millions of pounds for similar amounts of energy, these results are put into the public domain as the Bolton-based national energy consultancy Box Power CIC believes the public have the right to know how their tax money is being spent. 

The figures are compiled within the Box Power CIC Performance Table, which detail how much public bodies have been spending on their gas and electricity. 

The results show: 

• Hastings Council, in the south east, paid the highest price for their electricity, at 66.2p/p/kwh, of all the 404 public bodies. 

• Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service paid the highest pence per kwh for their electricity of all emergency services, at 64.1p/p/kwh. Whereas Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service paid 24.5p/p/kwh for their electricity. 
• Local authorities in Yorkshire and the north west paid some of the highest rates for electricity in the period. 
• Knowsley Council bought electricity at 50.2p/p/kwh and spent £4,605,000. The UK average price paid was 33.3p/p/kwh – if Knowsley Council paid the UK average for their electricity, they would have paid £3,052,001.61, and would have saved £1,552,998.39. 
• The average price Scottish authorities paid for gas was 6.2p/p/kwh. The average price Yorkshire authorities paid for gas was double at 12.4p/p/kwh. 
• The City of York paid £3,910,282 for 7,893,556kwh of electricity, priced at 49.5p/p/kwh. 
• Kirklees Council bought gas at 33,609,775kwh and spent £6,546,075 whereas Portsmouth City Council bought 34,996,452kwh of gas and spent £2,435,955. Kirklees paid 19.5p/p/kwh for their gas whereas Portsmouth paid 7.0p/p/kwh. 
• Local authorities in Scotland bought at cheaper rates than their counterparts in England. 
• The Pensions Regulator paid the highest price for gas of any governmental or high-profile organisation surveyed, at 15.8p/p/kwh. 
• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) paid 200% more (52.9p/p/kwh versus 17.6p/p/kwh) than the Ministry of Defence for its electricity. 
• Humberside Police paid almost 140% more (54.9p/p/kwh versus 22.9p/p/kwh) than West Midlands Police for its electricity. 

The Box Power CIC Performance Report outlines the £700,000,000 local authorities could have saved had they bought at the same rate as national government departments during the period. Local authorities paid 63% more on average than what they could have paid if they bought at the same rate as national government.

Corin Dalby, CEO of Box Power CIC, says: “These are an interesting set of findings to say the least. 

“Box Power CIC are putting these results in the public domain because we want to bring more transparency and value into the sector when it comes to energy buying. When you consider that some local authorities also buy energy for the schools, leisure centres and more in their area who trust them to deliver the best value for money, the hugely different amounts paid raise some important and difficult questions. 

Without the transparency enabled by our Box Power CIC Performance Table, both the public and other organisations would still have no idea about these price disparities. 

“We will continue to call for greater transparency and openness within the energy market, so that taxpayers can hold their local authorities to account and so it is clear if public money is being spent effectively.” 

Box Power CIC has donated more than £800,000 to charities in the north west as part of its philanthropic efforts. That followed an award for Corin Dalby as the Manchester Evening News Businessperson of the Year earlier in 2023. 

Please check out the full spreadsheet here for full results, including each UK local authority and a number of other public bodies.