Guidance

Statement of Code compliance

Updated 28 April 2026

This statement outlines how the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) official statistics are produced in line with the core principles of the Code of Practice for Statistics: Trustworthiness, Quality and Value. We carried out a thorough review of compliance with the Code in Summer 2025. Oversight of ongoing compliance is carried out through our Senior Statistics Board which meets regularly.

Trustworthiness

Show integrity - DESNZ official statistics are produced by trained government analysts, generally professional statisticians, who work closely with policy colleagues to understand their needs while ensuring the production process is entirely independent from political influence. Results are presented in an objective, impartial way and misuse is challenged, in collaboration with the Office for Statistics Regulation where appropriate.

Lead responsibly – DESNZ has a clear governance structure for official statistics, overseen by the Head of Profession for Statistics (HoP), with all statistics releases signed off by the HoP or a nominated senior statistician. The HoP has overall responsibility for the frequency, content and timing of all official statistics. They work closely with colleagues across the department including the Analytical Leadership Team, Private Offices and senior Communications colleagues to promote the appropriate use of statistics and to ensure sufficient, suitably skilled staff are dedicated to the production of statistics. Ongoing oversight is supplemented by a Senior Statistics Board, who can commission reviews of Code compliance or other actions as required.

Be transparent – DESNZ release practices are set out in our Release Practice Policy, which is designed to promote transparency. Statistical publications are pre-announced in our release calendar and are published at 9.30am on the day of release. They contain details on methods, strengths and limitations to assist interpretation by users.

Manage data responsibly – DESNZ approach to managing data is set out in our Data Management Policy.  We have embedded processes to ensure we collect, store, handle and link data securely, protecting personal and commercial data. We work closely with colleagues in our Central Data Office and Data Protection experts.  

Quality

Prioritise quality - Our Quality Management Approach sets out how we prioritise and assure the quality of our statistics. In particular, we encourage a culture of curiosity and ensure clear quality assurance and sign off processes are in place for all our statistical releases.

Be rigorous – Many of our official statistics are long running series using well established data sources. We aim to strike the right balance between maintaining consistent time series while also keeping our sources under review to identify opportunities for improvement and to address emerging developments, such as new energy sources or energy efficiency schemes. We work with data suppliers to maintain quality and minimise the burden of collection where possible. We align with international standards, notably in relation to greenhouse gas and energy statistics, which follow international reporting requirements.

Be open about quality - We publish background information on all our official statistics to aid user interpretation. This often includes detailed methodology documentation for technical users. We give notice and an opportunity to comment on planned material changes to our statistics. Any revisions due to errors are clearly highlighted and explained.

Value

Be relevant – We work closely with policy colleagues and other key stakeholders to ensure our statistics meet their evolving needs. At the same time, we are mindful of the importance of maintaining consistent time series for some key measures. Our approach to taking account of external users is set out in our Public Involvement and Engagement Strategy. Our Work Programme also identifies key planned changes, inviting feedback from users.

Be clear – Some energy data is complex but we endeavour to present all our statistics clearly while maintaining the level of detail and complexity required by some expert, technical users. We work with other producers such as ONS, Defra and MHCLG and devolved governments to promote coherence where possible. We set out the rationale for and implications of any changes, including in our quarterly Energy Trends publication.

Be accessible - We provide free and equal access to our statistics, taking into account the needs of users with disabilities. We provide disaggregated statistics to meet user needs where possible in terms of quality and resources. For example, many of our scheme statistics are published a local authority or parliamentary constituency level in response to user interest.

Beyond official statistics

We encourage voluntary application of the Code to areas which are not official statistics, drawing on relevant good practices set out in the Standards for Official Statistics. Those products where voluntary application has been adopted can be seen in the OSR Register.

The department is also committed to the principles of intelligent transparency and adopting the Standards for Public Use of Statistics, Data and Wider Analysis.

Feedback

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.