Prime minister David Cameron has said that central government buildings will publish more energy data as they attempt to cut their emissions 10% over the next year.

Today, Cameron announced that cutting the emissions would make properties owned by central government departments cheaper to run. He also said that government department headquarters would publish their energy use online so the public can hold ministers and civil servants responsible for their emissions.

He also said a government steering group would be set up to ensure departments meet the target. The group is to be chaired by energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne, and comprise representatives from key government departments and the private sector.

Cameron said: “I don’t want to hear warm words about the environment. I want to see real action. I want this to be the greenest government ever.”

He added: “To those who say this is insignificant, remember this: the UK’s public sector has a bigger carbon footpring than the entire waste sector. If we do this, we’ll cut the Government’s energy bill by hundreds of millions of pounds.”

In 2008/9, the central government’s 8,000 buildings were responsible for 1.45 million tonnes of carbon emissions, about 7% of the carbon emissions of the whole public sector. The annual energy spend was £195m.

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