100 per cent green electricity for Southampton’s buildings

Southampton City Council commercial buildings will now be using 100 per cent green electricity, to support the authority’s efforts of being carbon neutral by 2030.

The switch to renewable energy will remove nearly 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the environment annually, with the supply to all council run schools, offices and street lights set to be part of the change.

Since 2010, the council has reported its reduction in carbon emissions from commercial buildings as part of the Carbon Reduction Policy, a reduction of 54 per cent in CO2 levels has been recorded since the launch of this policy.

Steve Leggett, cabinet member for Green City and Environment, said: “We are delighted announce our switch to renewable electricity. Such a simple action is helping to reduce our carbon footprint. We want to lead the way in making changes that have a lasting, positive impact on our environment.

“Switching to a green energy provider is easy and we are encouraging our residents to consider the environment when choosing their gas and electricity supplier. CitizEn Energy, established by the council, is not only a competitively priced supplier that reduces our impact on the environment but it also supports the local community by reinvesting any money made to deliver real savings for those most in need. We were delighted to announce that in its first year, CitizEn Energy’s 1,500 customers saved over 15,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.”