Successes so far

RE:CONNECT at a programme level

The programme has delivered on a number of fronts. These include:

• Over 6,000t CO2 per annum saved across the ten low carbon zones
• Over £5.5m of directly levered funding into local projects
• Savings on fuel bills in some of London’s most deprived communities
• Growing innovation in the use of new technologies and delivery models
• Increased community ownership of assets, as well as volunteering, training, education and job creation

The GLA has also secured a partnership with London’s distribution network and other partners to deliver over 5,000 smart meters to residents in the zones enabling them to monitor energy usage in their own homes and use 'smart grid' and demand management techniques that will deliver additional carbon savings by 2012.

The ten low carbon zones are forecast to achieve a total of over 20,000t CO2 per annum by the end of September 2012.

RE:CONNECT at a local level

The RE:CONNECT low carbon zones have implemented a number of innovative projects to engage their local communities and cut carbon emissions. A summary of individual zone achievements can be found below. To find out more about a specific zone, see the individual pages linked on the left.

• Barking Town Centre (Barking and Dagenham) - £145k levered from British Gas for solid wall retrofit. Three long-term unemployed residents now employed as Home Energy Assessors for their local areas.
• Muswell Hill (Haringey) - £300k levered from DECC for school and community building retrofits and PV solar panels. Community interest company bulk-buying and volunteer-led door-knocking campaign to promote energy efficiency measures.
• Archway (Islington) – Over 2000t CO2 per annum saved to date with further major cavity wall and solar thermal projects underway.
• Brixton (Lambeth) - 200 'Green Doctor' detailed energy and carbon footprint surveys undertaken and a £2.8m investment from energy supplier Eon to retrofit social homes.
• Lewisham Central (Lewisham) - 11 per cent CO2 savings to date, plus an additional 508t CO2 per annum saved from Lewisham hospital and a 70 per cent uptake rate on residential insulation measures.
• Wandle Valley (Merton) - Solar PV panels installed on two local schools and six Future Jobs funded posts now active in the zone.
• Ham and Petersham (Richmond) - 250 homes have received easy measures and energy saving advice packages. £100k leverage funding from British Gas enabled delivery of Solar PV panels on local schools and community buildings.
• Peckham (Southwark) - 60 solar thermal systems and 20 solid wall insulations to be installed on street properties.
• Hackbridge (Sutton) - Free loft and cavity wall insulation being offered to all residents and a schools and community building retrofit underway.
• Queens Park (Westminster) - Community heating system upgraded resulting in savings of 130t CO2 per annum and a major solar PV project underway, funded through private investment.