The Association for Decentralised Energy
ACE’s latest Local Story, on energy efficiency in London, has found that despite London’s world status, many of its homes and workplaces are highly inefficient, leading to inflated fuel bills, squeezed family budgets, ill health and reduced business competitiveness.
The challenge London set itself in its 2011 Climate Change and Energy Strategy is ambitious. To reduce the city’s CO2 emissions, the target for buildings is to retrofit 2.9 million homes; retrofit public buildings comprising a total of 11 million m2 of floor space; and retrofit 44 million m2 worth of private sector workplaces by 2025. These 55 million m2 constitute two thirds of London’s current non-domestic stock of buildings. Currently, London is falling well behind on its milestones to 2025, and the rewards of stepping up energy efficiency action in the capital are too good to miss.
Heating, cooling and powering London’s homes and workplaces is costly:
Significant upgrades to the efficiency of London’s buildings have been made in recent years:
These improvements bring a wide range of benefits to London
Millions of homes and businesses still stand to gain from energy efficiency upgrades. A step-change in delivery is needed, combined with a panoramic view and thorough understanding of all the benefits it can bring. Capturing the above benefits simultaneously, by investing in the energy performance of our buildings, will help London to meet its targets, maintain its economic competitiveness and to be a place that people want – and can afford – to live and work.