GreenFlame fires up
Flintshire County Council's energy efficiency

Several schools in North Wales are amongst some of the first public buildings in the country to use a new environmentally-friendly heating oil as part of a major energy efficiency programme by Flintshire County Council.

Keen to reduce its carbon footprint and its harmful greenhouse gas emissions, Flintshire CC is now using the renewable heating oil, GreenFlame, manufactured by ESL Biofuels, to heat over 20 schools as well as a number of smaller sites across the county including libraries and community centres. It has signed up to an annual delivery of over 6 million litres of the new oil.

Manufactured using renewable plant oils rather than fossil fuels and consequently with 20% less net CO2 emissions, GreenFlame has been welcomed by the council as a viable alternative to traditional petroleum-based heating oil.

Competitively priced compared to the standard gas oil it replaces, the biofuel has been able to satisfy the council’s budgetary requirements as well as deliver immediate environmental benefits. The heating oil does not release harmful emissions and therefore reduces its net contribution to global warming. Its low sulphur content is also cleaner burning, further reducing pollution.

Flintshire CC's energy manager, Will Pierce comments: "Flintshire works to a very strong environmental agenda at the heart of which is improved energy efficiency and conservation. When our fuel suppliers, Carlton Fuels suggested a renewable heating oil alternative for use in some of our public buildings we were happy to trial it."

"One of the most impressive aspects has been the ease with which we were able to switch from traditional heating oil across our oil-fired sites, with no modification to boiler plant. To date, since its introduction, we have not recorded a single heating problem in any of our public buildings."

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"Many of our customers, not least within the public sector, are becoming increasingly interested in greener fuels and the GreenFlame product has proved particularly popular."

"Flintshire County Council, which signed up for the new biofuel in partnership with three neighbouring county councils in Denbighshire, Wrexham and Conwy, has been able to enjoy significant environmental and economic benefits without any of the complications usually associated with switching to a new fuel."

Gareth Williams, Head of Marketing for Carlton Fuels