There was disappointment for the NI Environment Minister Arlene Foster this week when it was revealed that her own constituency of County Fermanagh was less enthusiastic about making 'green' choices in the home.

The DUP MLA had previously welcomed the publication of the UK Government's response to the consultation on the Carbon Reduction Commitment, a scheme that will legally require large users of electricity to reduce their consumption, and is designed to save at least four million tonnes of CO2 by 2020.

Speaking last week, the Minister said: "I believe that the Carbon Reduction Commitment will make a very significant contribution to the reduction of carbon produced by large public and private sector organisations through greater energy efficiency and thereby contributing to the overall reduction of Northern Ireland's carbon emissions.

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Now, while residents in County Antrim have been recognised by the environmental body, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) as the "most committed" to making environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes around the home, the EST survey was less than complimentary about the Lakeland county.

While the organisation noted that if the green promises of the Antrim residents are up-held, they will save over £900,000 on their fuel bills every year, County Fermanagh residents would only 'save' a little more than £83,000 on fuel bills and only cut their annual carbon emissions by 570 tonnes.

Noel Williams, Head of the EST in Northern Ireland encouraged all residents to follow the lead of Antrim residents.

"If everyone in Northern Ireland who committed honours their promises, collectively they will save around £2.7 million a year, which is enough CO2 a year to fill 110,000 double-decker buses, nearly 19,000 tonnes," he said.

The Minister suggested afterwards that the survey methodology wasn't necessarily scientific and didn't look at a large enough sample, and also said that leaving the car at home - and saving Co2 emissions - wasn't as easy an option in rural Co Fermanagh as in other areas.

(BMcC)