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Two local authorities are models for energy-saving in housing
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"09/06/2008
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Local authorities are playing a key role in reducing CO2 emissions generated by UK homes and businesses. The 2008 Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy have selected two UK authorities, Arun and Leeds , as finalists for their achievements in tacking energy efficiency in public and private housing.
"If every local authority across the UK focused on their housing sector and adopted these highly effective sustainable energy practices, we would be a great deal closer to meeting the UK' s targets for reducing carbon emissions," said Sarah Butler-Sloss , Executive Chair of the Ashden Awards.
The winner will be announced on Thursday 19 June at a prestigious awards ceremony to be hosted by respected journalist Anna Ford and addressed by Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the government, and Wangari Maathai, founder of the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.
Arun District Council - Sharing best energy practice in the housing sector
Arun District Council, with its headquarters in Littlehampton, has run a 15-year programme tackling fuel poverty which has upgraded 99 percent of its council housing stock with insulation and double glazing, either provided free or discounted. By early 2008 they had also insulated 1,800 homes for the most deprived residents in Arun, mainly pensioners.
The council has also partially or fully funded over 2,000 private homeowners to benefit from an insulation scheme run by local installers. Residents who have joined these schemes have reduced their energy costs, have better health and a more comfortable home. "Solar heating is definitely the future - I don't even need to turn on my water heating between April and mid October," says Mr Armstrong, a homeowner with grant-aided solar thermal installation.
Arun shows what can be achieved by a small council with real commitment to sustainability from council officers, and strong partnerships with businesses, NGOs and other councils. Despite not having a large budget for sustainable energy work, the Council has been highly effective in targeting the resources it has at those who need them most.
They have also made changes to their own buildings through the 'Sustainable Working and You' group, supported by the trade union Unison. The group encourages energy saving in the office using posters and quizzes, with plans for staff car pools and office bikes for local journeys.
Arun Council is saving nearly 12,000 tonnes of CO2 a year through these initiatives.
Councillor Paul Dendle from Arun District Council says: "It is a real achievement to be one of the finalists and we eagerly await the final decision of the judges, knowing that our work is being recognised as some of the best in the country."
Leeds City Council - Trail-blazing local authority giving homes a green overhaul
Leeds City Council is saving around 88,000 tonnes a year of CO2 through insulation measures alone. Its Fuelsavers programme is addressing fuel poverty through energy efficiency improvements in the housing sector. Every year it contacts 25,000 people via postal surveys and through its call centres and it has hired surveyors to do 32,000 door-to-door visits, targeting five of the poorest wards in Leeds for energy efficiency assessment.
Over the last four years it has been responsible for over 37,000 installations of cavity wall or loft insulation and over 20,000 installations of efficient gas boilers. For blocks of flats which are hard to treat, they have installed external insulating cladding and replaced old heating systems with gas-fired CHP units. As one beneficiary of a new gas supply comments, "Before we had gas we used storage heaters and they were terrible - you couldn't regulate them and they were expensive too. Now our combined gas and electric bills are £70 a month, when the electric bill used to be £90."
The Council is the second largest local authority in the UK and has a long, impressive track record of energy efficiency work in the housing sector going back to the 1980s. Leeds has a growing social divide and wide range of housing which present different challenges - many properties are hard to heat and many houses built before 1920 have solid walls, making them difficult to insulate.
To tackle its own energy consumption, the Council has appointed 120 cross departmental staff as 'Energy Guardians' who monitor energy use within the council's offices and buildings.
By 2007 Leeds City Council had achieved a saving of over 20 percent in household energy use, moving towards the government target of 30 percent by 2011.
UK categories: Local Authority: Arun District Council; and Leeds City Council. School: Ringmer Community College , Lewes, East Sussex ; and Sandhills Primary School , Oxfordshire. Business: Dulas, Powys, Wales ; and Kensa Engineering, Truro , Cornwall . Charity and Community: Energy Agency, South Ayrshire; and Global Action Plan, London HQ.
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