THE Evening Press is bringing good news to the environment with green deliveries.

The company, one of the partners in the PlanetYork project aimed at making the city the UK's most energy-efficient, has added a green delivery vehicle to its fleet.

The new van has been converted to run on green diesel.

Its performance has been so impressive that Evening Press chiefs are now looking at converting more of the 21-strong commercial fleet.

Phil Stanyon, the company's transport manager, said: "This is our first ultra-low-emission road vehicle and, so far, we're very pleased with the level of performance.

"We always knew that it was the right choice environmentally. Now we also know that it is a good choice in terms of practical use."

Meanwhile, York's housebound residents are being offered visits from house "doctors" keen to make homes energy efficient.

Advisers from the Energy Efficiency Advice Centre are offering to check heating equipment, condensation and other possible energy wastes as part of the scheme.

They will not only diagnose waste problems in the house, but give information about grants and schemes that could improve them.

They include:

- Warmfront - a government scheme to give cash aid to disability and income-related benefit claimants who want to insulate their homes

- Price reductions - £150 off Northern Electric condensing boilers for the first 500 people to buy in parts of York

- Partial grants - these would fund draught-proofing and insulation for residents in the North Clifton regeneration area.

The Energy Efficiency Advice Centre's advisers can be contacted by phone on 0800 512012.

Updated: 11:56 Monday, May 20, 2002