Cutting Your Carbon

The project - Communicate Your Building's Energy Rating or CYBER Display - looks at innovative ways to communicate to the public about energy consumption and reduction in public buildings. It will run for 30 months until early 2011. 

Bristol is one of only two cities in the country to obtain funding to take part in the project.

The city was chosen to host the international launch because of the success of its local project in 2006, which won the Towards Class A award.

Bristol's experiences will be shared with the other partners from the other European countries.

The project ties in with new legislation whereby from October 1, 2008, it will become law for public buildings to display an energy certificate setting out their carbon footprint.

All properties - homes, commercial and public buildings - when bought, sold, built or rented, will also need an energy performance certificate.

Bristol City Council Energy Manager, Paul Isbell said: "We have thousands of people using our buildings every day and with doubling energy costs we need to ensure there is no waste."

"This project will enable us to understand how people tick and how we can communicate with staff better. The lessons we learn through CYBER Display will be spread throughout Europe, making this a very significant project."