WIREDGOV

Swansea Office wins award for going green

Switching off unused office equipment at Land Registry’s Swansea Office helped them win an award and reduce their carbon footprint by 1.5 tonnes in a one-month period, the equivalent emissions of a return flight from Cardiff to Tenerife.

All Land Registry offices across England and Wales took part in a weeklong exercise to reduce their energy consumption, and the Swansea Office, based at Ty Bryn Glas in High Street, registered the biggest reduction – a whole 28 per cent.

Land Registry Wales Office, also based in Swansea, came a close second, with 27 per cent.

Staff at the Swansea Office were presented with a suitably green prize – ten shrubs which will live in the working areas of the office.

The reduction was partly due to a concerted effort to switch off unused machines, such as computer monitors and photocopiers. But the office had also installed voltage optimisation technology from energy efficiency specialists Power Perfector. In simple terms the technology reduces the voltage coming into the building without compromising the safety or efficient working of the electrical items within.

Accommodation Manager at Ty Bryn Glas, Bill Moore said:

“The 1.5 tonnes reduction in carbon emissions in one month as a result of our energy saving actions is roughly equivalent to the emissions produced by using an average family car for a year."

“The voltage optimisation equipment was installed in 2005 and comparing our energy consumption from December 2005 with the same month in 2004, there was a reduction of 12,000 kWh.

“And with our efficiency drive during December 2006, we saved a further 3,000 kWh in just one week.”

Environment Manager for Land Registry, Martin Illingworth, added:

“This is a significant saving for one office alone, and as we have installed voltage optimisation across all our offices, we have saved around £200,000 to date."

“But saving money is something every office manager is keen to do, and the message to them is simple – getting staff to switch off at the end of the day can significantly reduce energy bills.”

Presenting the prize to Land Registry Swansea Office, Angus Robertson, Managing Director of Power Perfector, said:

“Land Registry is leading the way in energy saving and has proved that saving energy doesn’t require a huge investment. These simple measures have saved a significant amount of energy in a relatively short space of time.”

ENDS

With the world’s largest property database, Land Registry underpins the economy by guaranteeing ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property. Around £1miillon worth of property is processed every minute in England and Wales. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor, Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been an open document since 1990. For further information about Land Registry, please visit its website at www.landregistry.gov.uk Issued on behalf of Land Registry by Government News Network Wales. For further information, please call 0844 800 6823 or email wales@gnn.gsi.gov.uk

Land Registry

Marion Shelley 020 7166 4543 marion.shelley@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk

Katherine Ellery 020 7166 4487 katherine.ellery@landregistry.gsi.gov.uk