The Department of Health’s (DH) London offices fall into the worst two categories of energy efficiency, C+D can reveal.

In a request under the Freedom of Information Act, C+D learned the DH offices at Richmond House, Skipton House and Wellington House all fall into the lowest Display Energy Certificate (DEC) ratings. 

The DEC scheme rates buildings on emissions from band A (lowest carbon emissions), to G (highest carbon emissions).

Skipton House and Wellington House were in category G, emitting 3,817 and 1,929 tonnes of CO2 respectively.

Richmond House fell into category F, emitting 1,669 tonnes of CO2 per year. An average family home emits around 10 tonnes per year.

A DH spokesman said the department had started a carbon management programme and had identified areas of improvement.

“In time, we expect to see a substantial improvement in our DEC ratings and our Carbon Reduction Commitment,” the spokesperson added.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment is a mandatory scheme for large businesses and public sector organisations. From April 2010 participants will be required to monitor emissions and pay penalties for failing to reduce their carbon footprint.

Although most pharmacies do not qualify for a DEC, all buildings bought or rented in the UK from October 2008 require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

Pharmacy organisations such as the RPSGB, Lloydspharmacy, PSNC and the NPA told C+D they did not have an EPC at present, but outlined steps they had taken to cut carbon emissions, including improving building management, investing in renewable energy sources and operating power-saving schemes.

C+D’s London headquarters was in EPC category D, the national average for efficiency.

The DEC scheme, required for buildings over 1,000m2 visited by the public, compares buildings with those of equivalent sizes.

What the organisations are doing to stay green:

RPSGB: Upgrading inverters and building management systems to increase energy efficiency at Lambeth.

PSNC: Located in a listed building so measures are limited to double glazing, energy efficient lights and switch-off policy. In addition, PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe drives a hybrid Toyota Prius.

NPA: Radiators fitted with thermostatic valves; low energy refrigerators; large recycling scheme, including paper, cans, mobile phones, toner cartridges and electronic equipment.

Lloydspharmacy: Secured renewable energy for all stores for the next year; rolling out automated metering in 2010 to measure energy-saving measures; energy efficient lighting in refitted stores.

Carbon equivalents:

Yearly emissions of Skipton House, DH: 3,817 tonnes

Yearly emissions of an average household: 10 tonnes

One passenger flying from London to New York*: 0.67 tonnes

Driving 10 miles every day for a year in a medium-sized petrol car*: 1.26 tonnes

(One tonne of CO2 is equivalent to planning one tree)

Expert view:

Helen Roberts, environmental consultant at government-approved carbon offset provider Carbon Footprint, delivers her verdict on the Department of Health:

“Looking at the results of the DECs it can be seen that all three buildings had very low results, achieving only F or G. The annual energy use for heating is on the whole lower than that of a typical buildings of the same m2, however the other electricity use is in all three cases nearly double.

“This is the first year of DECs, so the first year in many cases that organisations have really considered and understood the emissions produced by their operations. Whilst the results seem very disappointing, the real test will be whether the organisation will strive to reduce their emissions to achieve a higher score in years to come.”

*Source: www.carbonpassport.com