Londoners invited to comment on Mayor's energy and climate change plans

Londoners are being invited to offer their views on the Mayor of London's climate change and energy plans, which include a programme to offer homes in specific areas across the capital a free energy efficiency package to save households money off fuel bills (Friday 8 October, 2010).

As London’s homes create a third of London's carbon emissions, the RE:NEW scheme is a key plank in the Mayor, Boris Johnson's drive to make London a leading energy efficient, low carbon capital, creating new job opportunities and green enterprises to improve quality of life. The Mayor’s draft energy and climate change mitigation strategy, 'Delivering London's energy future', published today for public consultation, sets out a series of required actions to achieve this vision and cut carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025. It details the Mayor’s own programmes already underway to deliver a share of this reduction target , including the RE:NEW programme; investment into greener transport choices such as cycling; schemes to cut carbon from workplaces; ten Low Carbon Zones and plans to localise London’s energy supply by 25 per cent by 2025. The Mayor is investing £100 million over the next three years on energy and climate change programmes.

RE:NEW trials were completed in more than 8,000 homes in nine boroughs earlier this year. Most London councils have now applied to deliver the scheme using a share of £3.45 million funding for the first year of delivery coming from the Mayor of London via the London Development Agency. A further £2.64 million has been outlined for 2011/2012. Some boroughs are expected to begin introducing the programme later this year, with the majority expected to be providing the service from January 2011. Details on how they will deliver the service in each borough are being finalised.

RE:NEW has been developed to install easy energy efficiency measures to domestic properties, by designing a hassle-free service on an area by area basis. It will be offered to pre-selected neighbourhoods. This approach, tested by the trials, rather than an 'on demand service' has proven that a personalised approach offered to a local area at the same time considerably increases the level of participation by residents.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘There are huge advantages to becoming more energy efficient. Not only will it shave money off bills in the face of rising fuel costs for homes and businesses but also generate jobs in a new low carbon economy.

'We need the collective efforts of everyone with a stake in London's prosperity to contribute to our plans and create this new future.'

Homes offered the RE:NEW service will be given a tailor-made range of energy-reducing devices by a trained assessor such as low energy light bulbs, radiator panels, stand-by switches and water saving measures. The assessors will help residents access other sources of funding for installing more substantial steps such as loft and cavity wall insulation which can enable those on qualifying benefits to receive them for free. Assessors will also be able to advise the options for renewable energy sources such as solar panels. RE:NEW is being delivered by the London boroughs and delivery agents funded by the London Development Agency and in partnership with London Councils and the Energy Saving Trust.

The RE:NEW trials to date have demonstrated a range of benefits which included approximately £80 saved per home off fuel bills from simple easy measures alone (not including loft, cavity insulation or boiler replacement) and in some instances, has created training and job opportunities. Individual households also reported: £1,000 saving off energy bills after having been shown how to use an immersion heater and the discovery of a major gas leak by the energy assessor. It is the first time both water and energy saving measures and advice have been offered in London under a single programme. RE:NEW aims to visit up to 200,000 domestic properties by 2012 and 1.2 million by 2015 subject to the leverage of additional finances. Up to 55,000 homes could be treated using the London Development Agency's initial funding.

Funding agreements are currently being finalised with borough councils with details of which neighbourhoods will be in the next London-wide phase of the RE:NEW programme set to be announced later this year. Households in areas selected to take part in the scheme later this year will receive an introductory letter inviting a follow-up visit from a fully qualified and accredited home energy assessor, who will install the energy efficiency measures and provide additional advice to help residents cut energy use. Previous energy efficiency programmes in the capital have been delivered on a more fragmented basis using a range of approaches.

Installing the easy measures being offered by 2015 could save an estimated 336,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. By installing further measures, such as loft or wall insulation and renewable energy units, reductions of nearly 820,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be made by 2015. This represents up to 12 per cent of the expected carbon emissions reductions in London by this time, using the Mayor's draft strategy calculations. RE:NEW will also help to alleviate fuel poverty, which due to the higher cost of living in London is estimated to impact on almost a quarter of London’s families.

The Mayor also announced 12 leading delivery agents that have been pre-selected to deliver the scheme on behalf of boroughs. These are, Axis, Groundwork London, Breyer Group, British Gas, CEN Services Ltd, Eaga plc, Enterprise, Lakehouse Contracts, Osborne Energy, United House, Warmzones, Willmott Dixon. Each company will be able to deliver a professional, consistent service across London. These organisations are expected to bring additional CERT funding to the programme which will enable RE:NEW to reach more homes across the capital.

'Delivering London's energy future' is available to view at: www.london.gov.uk - the public consultation is open until 5 January 2011. The draft strategy was first published in February this year for consultation with the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority group.

ENDS