Skip to content

Crematorium to go green as part of Council’s clean energy drive

Published
Gloucester City Council is set to strengthen its longstanding commitment to securing stable, cost‑effective, and environmentally responsible energy supplies from 1 April.

The City Council will not only enter into a new contract to use 100% renewable electricity across the full council estate but will also obtain 100% green gas from agricultural biomethane to power the council crematorium, the city council’s largest greenhouse gas emitter.

Gloucester City Council currently receives its energy supply through West Mercia Energy under a joint arrangement with Tewkesbury Borough Council, which acts as the lead authority. The existing contract, which began in April 2021, is due to end in March 2026. The proposed new agreement represents an estimated spend of £2.23 million over three years, with a potential additional £1.49 million should the two‑year extension be taken up.

The final cost of this energy purchase exercise may vary, depending on consumption, meaning the council is incentivised to reduce waste through more efficient use of gas and electricity at council properties, further reducing emissions and achieving greater value for council tax-payers. The council’s energy decarbonisation drive will also be assisted by work underway to replace the current cremators with a more energy efficient facility.

West Mercia Energy’s fully flexible purchasing model also provides capped pricing aligned to the financial year, offering 12‑month budget certainty to minimise the impact of a volatile geopolitical environment.

Councillor Declan Wilson (Cabinet Member for Finance) said:

“The Council’s latest energy purchase exercise demonstrates that that cutting our carbon footprint goes hand‑in‑hand with protecting the public purse. By locking in budget certainty, incentivising lower energy use, and securing competitive long‑term pricing, we’re making every pound work harder for residents while investing in a cleaner future.”

Councillor Sebastian Field (Cabinet Member for Environment) said:

“I’m delighted that we will not only continue powering all council buildings with 100% renewable electricity, but that for the first time in Gloucester’s history our crematorium will operate with zero emissions through the purchase of 100% green gas for 2026/27. Combined with our ambitions for a new, energy‑efficient facility and ongoing improvements in how we heat and light our buildings, we are making real, measurable progress towards our decarbonisation goals.”