Projects and Services

The Queens Park Low Carbon Zone brings together a range of projects and services in an attempt to reduce Carbon Emissions from the Zone by 20.12% before September 2012.  This page gives an overview of the various schemes.

Some significant projects have already been completed and the project is about half way to meeting the goal – there is still a long way to go and there are several new schemes starting in 2011.

Ongoing

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  FREE home energy assessments - save up to £200 a year.  Westminster City Council is working with Carillion Energy Services to help all residents in Queen's Park and Harrow Road wards save energy and money off their fuel bills.  Residents of these 2 wards can make an appointment to receive a home visit from Re:NEW's qualified energy experts who can offer energy saving advice and a range of FREE, easy-to-do measures, from changing to low-energy light bulbs to installing stand-by switches and providing water and energy-saving advice.  The advisor will also carry out a survey of the property to check suitability for further energy saving measures (e.g. to link to the draught proofing and loft insulation grants above) and, where appropriate, book an appointment for these to be installed.  RE:NEW is a partnership between the GLA, London Councils and London Boroughs - for more information click here or call now to book your visit - limited availability FREEPHONE 0800 612 8879
• FREE Energy Monitor Loan Scheme - available from Queen's Park Library. 
• Loft Insulation and Draught Proofing Grants - available to homeowners and private landlords in Queens Park and Harrow Road wards to allow zero cost installation of loft insulation and draught proofing - WCC can also provide help clearing the loft!  More information on the grants available can be found on the Housing Grants page (or see the Home Improvement  Agency page for other grants).
• Energise London - community/volunteer scheme run by Queens Park Forum that provides various workshops and promotes simple ways to save energy and water
• Draught Proofing Programme - the LCZ is working with local handymen, a local hardware store and Queens Park Forum to provide training on basic DIY draught proofing of windows and doors, somewhere local to buy materials and some professional help if needed.  Contact Queens Park Forum for details.
• Support to Queens Park Businesses - grants of up to £1,500 are available from the LCZ and free advice to small businesses (part funded by the EU)
• Boiler Upgrades - CWH have an ongoing programme to upgrade all domestic boilers in council housing so that they are A-rated for energy efficiency.  CWH will replace around 100 boilers in the Low Carbon Zone during the course of the project including replacing the last few G-rated boilers.  Changing from a G-rated boiler to an A-rated boiler will save ~25% off heating bills for the average family.
  
  

Completed 

• Upgrade to Avenue Gardens Estate Community Heating - the original plan for the LCZ was to install Combined Heat and Power (CHP) at Avenue Gardens – CHP is basically a technology which merges a generator and a boiler to produce heat and power in a much more fuel efficient way, however, detailed investigation showed that CHP was not viable.  All was not lost – CityWest Homes took the opportunity to upgrade the old communal boilers serving 324 homes in Avenue Gardens – the new boilers’ were ~12% more efficient which will provide carbon savings of 175tCO2 per annum – that’s around a 2% reduction on the Core Zone’s total footprint!

• Cavity Wall Insulation at the Mozart Estate - The majority of homes built since the 1930s include cavity walls but builders only began insulating these as a matter of course in the 1970s.  It is straightforward to go back and insulate empty cavities – a semi-detached house can be insulated for ~£250.  However, it is much more difficult and expensive to insulate 7-storey blocks like those found in the Mozart Estate.  CityWest Homes were successful with a bid to the Homes and Communities Agency to fund a £3m programme of insulation across the borough – this insulated ~1,500 homes and led to ~80 jobs being created in the process.  Almost 300 of the cavities that were filled were in the Core Low Carbon Zone leading to carbon savings of ~350tCO2 every year (a reduction of ~4% in the area’s total carbon footprint).  A few more homes may be insulated later in 2011.

• Flat Roof Insulation at the Mozart Estate - the flat roofs on 4 blocks on the Mozart Estate were recently renewed and the work included a significant upgrade in the level of insulation which now meet modern standards.  This will save ~35tCO2 pa a reduction of ~0.4% in the area’s total carbon footprint))

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  Exemplar Retrofit of Queens Park Estate - Much of Queens Park Ward consists of a model housing estate built in the 1870s by the Artizan’s, Labourers and General Dwellings Company.  The estate has a distinctive character with yellow brick, two storey cottages set in tree lined streets embellished with a variety of architectural details.  Thanks to the Dolphin Square Foundation and CityWest Homes, eight of the cottages have now been retrofitted to the highest standards of eco design.  CWH’s property, funded by the Technology Strategy Board’s Retrofit for the Future project features the same insulation as the International Space Station and many other eco credentials.  Each of the homes should have lowered their carbon footprint by up to 80% (although this will not make much of a dent in the overall footprint of the estate).  Watch out for a chance to tour the properties in September as part of London Open House.

Coming Soon...

 
• Loft Insulation to council housing in the Queens Park Estate - CWH plan to insulate council homes in the Queens Park Estate so they have the recommended 10 inches of loft insulation – it is likely that this work will begin later in 2011 and could link to ReNEW so that council tenants who receive a visit from ReNEW will also have loft insulation arranged with minimum fuss

• Green New Build in Avenue Gardens - Westminster Community Homes are building 2 new family homes on the Avenue Gardens Estate.  These will be built to a very high standard of energy efficiency and will include solar panels on the roof.  The scheme is part of the largest affordable housing building programme in a generation

In Development

• Replacing electric heating in the Mozart Estate - A recent sharp rise in energy costs for off-peak electric heating mean that CWH are actively looking at replacing electric heating with individual gas boilers in the Mozart Estate.  If the scheme goes ahead, it is expected to start in October 2011 and will have a significant impact on carbon emissions from Queen Park.  This project could reduce emissions from the Core Zone by ~10%

• Solar Panels on Council Housing - WCC and CWH are looking at opportunities to partner with a company to install photovoltaic solar panels on council housing.  If the scheme goes ahead, Queens Park will be one of the first areas fitted with panels.  Homes that have panels fitted might be expected to save ~£120pa off their bills (although not all homes will be suitable for panels).  Overall, this is expected to contribute around 3% reduction to the area’s carbon footprint.