Residents at a sheltered housing scheme in Eltham will benefit from an improved energy-efficient communal heating system after the Royal Borough of Greenwich successfully secured £132,000 in funding.
The improvements will give residents greater control over their heating, improve comfort in their homes and help to cut harmful carbon emissions.
On 23 September, the council was announced as one of 10 organisations across England and Wales to receive a share of over £12.2 million from the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), a government funded initiative, that awards grants to housing providers to improve the energy performance of residential heating systems.
Councillor Jackie Smith, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds and Estate Regeneration, said:
This funding is a welcome boost for residents living at our scheme. For many older residents, having a reliable and easy-to-use heating system can make a real difference to their day-to-day quality of life.
These improvements will provide greater control, increase reliability and help ensure residents can enjoy a more comfortable living environment, while also supporting our commitment to reducing carbon emissions.”
The improvements will help the council upgrade the insulation on the block’s communal heating system to reduce heat loss and leaks and the need for regular maintenance.
In addition, new heat meters, heat interface units, thermostatic radiator valves and thermostats will be installed, which will give the 41 residents at the scheme better control over the heating and energy they use. When complete, the Eltham Road scheme is estimated to lead to a saving of 24.8 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
Making our buildings more energy efficient is a core part of the council's Carbon Neutral Plan, which outlines how we're tackling the climate emergency we declared in 2019. It sets out what we're doing to cut emissions, protect our natural environments and embrace clean energy in our borough across social and private housing, transport and waste reduction.
The council is already underway with work to improve the energy performance of the lowest-performing council homes, by making them warmer and healthier by installing new windows, doors, ventilation systems as well as improved wall and loft insulation.
Read more about the outcome of Round 11 of the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme.