FROM this weekend many of the larger public buildings across North Yorkshire are to be supplied with 'green' energy in an attempt to reduce the county's greenhouse gas emissions.

The one year deal - which County Council bosses are stressing places no extra cost on Council Tax payers - means a reduction of over 4,260 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the greenhouse gas that is the main cause of climate change.

The larger buildings use 100kw or more and include County Hall in Northallerton, and North Yorkshire House, a large office complex in Scarborough, as well as many secondary schools and colleges across the County.

We will continue to further reduce our CO2 emissions through reducing our use of energy...

Clare Wood - North Yorkshire Environment Spokesperson

Clare Wood, Executive Member for Environment Services said: "This is excellent news for everyone.

"Together with the use of 'green' energy in streetlights and energy saving actions we have taken this past year, we will achieve a reduction in our CO2 emissions of 9%. This is very close to our target of a 10% reduction by 2010.

"But we will not rest on our laurels. We will continue to further reduce our CO2 emissions through reducing our use of energy and by using green energy whenever possible."

Carl Les, the County Council's Executive Member for Corporate Services, added: "Reducing our CO2 emissions is good news for the environment and reducing our use of energy results in significant savings that can be used to provide services."

The green electricity to be used in North Yorkshire is produced from renewable sources such as wind or hydro, gas captured from landfill sites which would otherwise contribute to global warming, or from combined heat and power (CHP) which has a fuel conversion efficiency of around 80% compared with 30% and 60% for coal or gas powered generating stations.

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