British Gas warned that, once the smoking ban is implemented across England on July 1, 2007, carbon emissions could soar to 160,000 tonnes of CO2 – almost 10% of the annual reduction the UK needs to meet its Kyoto commitments by 2012.
As a result, the utility has urged UK pubs to consider greener alternatives, such as wood-burning chimeneas or braziers, which offer a carbon-neutral way to keep warm outdoors, or electric heaters, which emit less CO2 but give off more focused heat. Electric heaters can also be fitted with sensors to switch them on and off automatically as people approach.
British Gas said that it surveyed 250 pubs in Scotland, where the ban on smoking has been in place for nearly a year, and found that half had purchased a patio heater for customers, with many others considering buying one.
The Centrica-owned company said that a commercial gas-fired patio heater can emit almost four tonnes of CO2 a year, two thirds of the six tonnes of CO2 emitted by the average household.
Jon Kimber, British Gas energy efficiency manager, said: There has been a real step change in people’s concerns about reducing their impact on the environment and it’s worrying to see these efforts cancelled out by a sudden boom in patio heater sales.
