The Scottish Parliament may be renowned for housing a lot of hot air, but the building is one of the best at not letting it escape. A survey of European landmark buildings found that the Parliament � which cost £414m to build � is one of the most environmentally friendly.

The Scottish Parliament may be renowned for housing a lot of hot air, but the building is one of the best at not letting it escape.

A survey of European landmark buildings found that the Parliament - which cost £414m to build - is one of the most environmentally friendly. In terms of cutting heat and CO loss it was second only to the Welsh Assembly.

Scientists worked out the loss using infra-red image analysis of eight key official buildings, which provides quantified CO loss and heat loss through thermal image.

The Welsh Assembly leaks just £95.98 a year, researchers from IRT Energy said, while the Scottish Parliament loses £463.42.

Third on the list was the Reichstag, which leaks £599.25 a year. The Houses of Parliament lose £7191 per year.

Bute House in Edinburgh, the official residence of the First Minister, did not fare well, leaking £894.88 a year.

But it proved far better than the least green landmark the technology recorded, Manchester Piccadilly, which loses £18,217.

The patented software quantifies the data in a traditional infra-red image to disclose just how "green" key landmark buildings really are.

Stewart Little, from IRT, said: "The technology behind IRT Energy is so accurate and the analysis so quick, for the first time it is physically possible to survey and analyse every home in the country, with obvious implications for the Government's environmental targets.

"With thermal imaging technology being developed for use in everything from breast cancer detection to new car technology, and IRT Energy's ability to handle millions of images, the potential for future applications is literally limitless."