KINGSTON – As Ulster County Executive Michael Hein continues his efforts to reduce costs, he is exploring converting the county’s phone system from convention to Internet phone service.

Hein said that is but one area of cost savings he is exploring.

“We are literally looking at everything, that being one of them, and that’s just a single component,” he said. “We’re looking at how we buy energy, becoming more energy efficient. How we buy telephone. How the county does literally any and all of its purchasing to make sure that we are going it in the most efficient method possible.”

Just last week, Sullivan County changed over to VOIP telephones and Orange County is making the switch.

Ulster also joined Sullivan County in the purchase of electricity through the MEGA consortium.