In 2006 Nottingham generated almost 14% of its own heat and power, of this around 4% was from renewables and waste. This makes Nottingham by far the most energy self-sufficient city in the UK.

These figures have only recently come to light, as published government figures for local energy generation from renewables and waste did not account for the heat and power generated and supplied locally from the district heating network and private wire power supply. The published figures assumed incorrectly that all the energy generated from the Eastcroft incinerator was used inefficiently to generate electricity and just sold to the national grid.

The Nottingham Energy Partnership noticed the astounding lead that Nottingham has on other UK cities while researching data to inform the developing Nottingham sustainable energy strategy.

According to government statistics, the second most energy self sufficient city, Coventry, generated just 0.74% of its own energy from renewables and waste in 2006. In 2008, the UK as a whole generated 2.7% of non-transport energy from renewables and waste.

The renewables figures have been confirmed by the consultants who compiled the data for the Department for Energy and Climate Change. While 4% does not sound a great deal, it puts Nottingham streets ahead of the rest of the UK in terms of renewable energy.

Councillor Katrina Bull, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change at Nottingham City Council, said: "Nottingham is leading the UK in a number of key energy areas, particularly through the work of the City Council, the Nottingham Energy Partnership (NEP) and Enviro-Energy, the city district heating operator.

"Nottingham's energy self sufficiency puts the city in a remarkably good position - we are starting from an excellent position, helped by the largest district heating scheme in the country which provides low cost, low carbon heat to St Ann's and parts of Sneinton. Imagine the potential for increasing this resilience through adding further district heating schemes and using other renewable technology to provide low cost, stable energy to Nottingham residents and businesses. As we face years ahead of steep energy price hikes, and certainly an end to cheap energy – we as a city must invest further in generating local, cheap, low carbon energy to further protect our city's residents and businesses.

"The City Council and NEP are delivering and supporting several groundbreaking projects in the city. These projects are at the forefront of the UKs transition to a low carbon economy; particularly The Nottingham Warm Zone, partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, providing energy efficiency measures to all private households.

"We are starting the race to the low carbon economy from the front. This also means we have the responsibility to demonstrate to the rest of the UK that the hard targets required to avoid dangerous climate change, are achievable and beneficial to Nottingham's economy."

Throughout 2006 the city generated over 190 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of heat and power from renewables and waste. The majority of this was distributed to homes and businesses through Enviroenergy, the City Council owned heat and power network. The rest of the city's home grown energy, around 563GWh, was generated from super efficient gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP).

The City's CHP plants are owned by a number of Nottingham's largest organisations including the district heating network operator Enviroenergy, Alliance Boots and the Queens Medical Centre.

While gas CHP burns natural gas, which is a fossil fuel, it generates electricity in a far more efficient and low carbon manner than large coal fired power stations like Ratcliffe on Soar. The power is generated close to where it is needed, so that there are not the losses associated with transmitting the power long distances. The waste heat generated is used to heat businesses and homes, rather than simply disposed off into the atmosphere via cooling towers.

As well as Nottingham generating more of its own energy than any other UK city, from 2003-2007 domestic gas consumption in the city fell by 16%; the largest fall of any local authority in the East Midlands and largest of all the core cities. This significant demand reduction has been achieved through the work of NEP and local housing associations working on domestic energy efficiency over the last few years. This also puts Nottingham in the top 8% of local authorities in the UK for domestic energy efficiency.

The impact is that businesses and homes on the heat and power network are, to a large extent, insulated against rising gas and power prices, while also benefiting from a low carbon footprint. This includes the Victoria and Broadmarsh centres, the Tax Office, Capital One, The Royal Centre, Nottingham Trent University and 4,600 homes in St Ann's. The private wire power network also protects local electricity users such as EMDA and the ice rink from power cuts.

In December last year Nottingham was the first UK local authority to adopt a motion recognising peak oil as an important policy driver. Nottingham's high level of locally generated energy will ensure that as global energy costs rise Nottingham will be one of the cities best adapted to make the transition to a post peak oil world.

The national Low Carbon Transition and Renewable Energy Strategies launched in 2009 however leave the city with no room for complacency. While already leading the UK, achieving the national targets for renewable energy may require doubling the size of the heat and power network over the next 10 years, as well as rapidly expanding other city renewable energy technologies such as solar water heating, photovoltaics and biomass. This represents nothing short of a low carbon revolution over the next decade