THE COUNCIL‘S Civic Centre is one of the worst offenders when it comes to energy efficient buildings.

Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show the Civic Centre in Silver Street, Enfield Town, has a G-rating for efficiency, the lowest possible, and emits more than 3,800 tonnes of carbon per year.

The only building in Enfield to receive an A grade is the high-performance Lee Valley Athletics Centre, in Picketts Lock.

NHS Enfield headquarters, in Eaton Road, Enfield, emits 330 tonnes of CO2, Jobcentre Plus in Windmill Hill, Enfield, emits 190 tonnes of CO2, Edmonton Police Station, in Fore Street, emits 1077 tonnes of CO2, and the Forest Primary Care Centre, in Hertford Road, emits 182 tonnes of CO2.

Douglas Coker, chairman of Enfield Green Party, said the council “needed a lesson in the ABCs of energy efficiency”.

He said: “These scores show there is huge scope for energy saving in Enfield’s public buildings. The council is supposed to be helping residents to be greener but to be credible, it should be getting its own house in order and making sure it is doing as much energy saving as possible.

“It is not news that we need to get our carbon emissions down. There surely should be some team at the council charged with looking at the energy efficiency of the building.”

Both the borough’s hospitals ranked poorly, a common trend across the country. North Middlesex Hospital scored the lowest rating, emitting 10,667 tonnes of CO2.

Chase Farm Hospital also scored a G-grade with 10,629 tonnes of CO2 emitted, and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust on the same site scored slightly better with an F rating and 3,503 tonnes of CO2 emitted.

Environment cabinet member Terry Neville said that consultants had been employed to do surveys of 13 council buildings, not including the Civic Centre, to identify energy savings, while the Civic Centre was now using four per cent less electricity from 2008 through improvements to the heating, lighting and boilers. He said in future the council will make further improvements to insulation, air handling units, and the lighting and water controls of toilets.

He added: "Water conservation measures identified in parks and allotments have generated savings of 13 per cent in parks and four per cent in allotments.

A pilot scheme is currently running to install 11 electricity 'smart' meters into 10 corporate buildings. The meters will ... improve consumption monitoring and waste management."