London Mayor launches £3.6m retrofit programme to tackle housing emissions

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a £3.6m Retrofit Accelerator for Homes programme to help cut carbon emissions and reduce the energy bills for people living in London. 

London’s 3.5 million homes are responsible for around one-third of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and with people living in London expected to spend around £3.5bn powering their homes this year, retrofitting homes will help to tackle the climate crisis while also reducing energy costs.

This retrofit programme is the first initiative of its kind in the UK and is part of a larger £34m fund to help London to transition to net-zero.

The programme will provide support for the under-resourced public sector to retrofit homes by making improvements such as better insulation, low carbon heating and alternative power sources.

As part of the programme, local authorities and housing associations will also be able to benefit from expert advice and guidance on large scale energy efficiency projects.

By creating a demand in the market for whole-house retrofits, the Mayor has said he hopes that this programme will pass on solutions and savings to private home-owners too.

Earlier this year, (January 2020), Sadiq Khan also launched London Power, a new green energy company that is available exclusively to Londoners.

Through this programme, the Mayor expressed commitments to help Londoners save on their bills and supply the capital with energy from clean sources

Sadiq Khan said: ‘We are in the midst of a climate emergency which poses a threat to our planet and we can no longer delay the urgent action that is needed to address it.

‘London’s ageing and energy-efficient homes are responsible for around one-third of the capitals greenhouse gas emissions and urgently need to be retrofitted.

‘I’ve pledged for London to be carbon-neutral by 2030 if re-elected.

‘It is an ambition which requires forward-thinking local authorities and housing associations to commit to this dynamic new movement to transform social housing and take a significant step towards London meeting its zero-carbon targets and help tackle fuel poverty.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay