Lambeth council is investing nearly £4 million to install measures such as new insulation, draught proofing and windows, solar panels and more modern, energy efficient lighting. This investment will upgrade our social housing stock, improving comfort and energy efficiency and reducing energy bills.
The investment has been secured from the Mayor of London’s carbon offset fund. It will focus on Blenheim Gardens Estate in Brixton and Leigham Court Estate in Streatham, among other renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, including schools, libraries and leisure centres.
Since 2016, the carbon offset funding has allowed us to access more government funding, enabling the council to deliver wider, more impactful projects that create warmer, more affordable, and healthier social housing for our residents.
These projects are expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 5,600 tonnes over the next 30 years, and save on energy use and bills for residents, schools, libraries and leisure centres.
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said, “We know the cost of living crisis has made the lives of some residents very difficult, and the climate crisis demands urgent leadership and action to reduce our emissions. We are working at an incredible pace to reduce emissions and bills for residents while improving the quality of housing in the borough.
“I look forward to seeing residents with better insulated and less draughty homes. This is one of the ways that we are making our neighbourhoods fit for the future.”
The Mayor of London’s carbon offset fund collects payments from developers to reinvest into local climate action initiatives such as energy efficiency measures, renewable energy and tree planting. It aims to reduce carbon emissions or enable projects that offset emissions in the local area.
As of this winter, all of Lambeth’s carbon offset funding has been allocated to projects still being delivered, such as supporting the installation of a ground source heat pump in Brockwell Hall, supporting PV installation on a local school and delivering two major retrofit programmes.
Featured image: the recently refurbished Brockwell Hall, now powered by a ground source heat pump.
Photo credit: SouthLondon Visuals
