Repowering London has been awarded over £75,000 worth of grant funding from the Energy Redress programme supporting CCH member Co-ops to reduce their carbon footprint and save on their energy bills

CCH has been working closely with Repowering London who have been awarded funding from the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme, that will support the retrofit of London based blocks of flats.

By “retrofit” we mean renovating and upgrading blocks of flats with energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies so that residents’ homes within the block are more comfortable and healthier to live in, have cheaper energy bills, and are fit for a low-carbon future.

CCH are bringing on board four of our member co-operatives to take part in the retrofit programme including:

• Clissold Housing Co-operative
• Heathview Housing Co-operative
• Deptford Housing Co-operative
• Leytonstone Housing Co-operative

Project Summary

This project will build capacity and facilitate access to retrofit for blocks of flats by trialling a new service for early engagement and feasibility work. This retrofit advisory service will include collecting necessary data, engaging stakeholders to co-develop retrofit plans, and demonstrating viability to finance providers.

The service offered as part of this project is fully funded and there are no costs, fees or charges for participant blocks or residents. There will also be no works or installations as part of this project; it is focused on engagement, assessment and options appraisal only.

Participating co-operatives will receive:

• workshops and engagement sessions to understand resident needs and experiences;
• data collection, assessment and remote monitoring for the whole building and selected flats to understand existing performance and areas for improvement (data collection will be anonymised and data protection agreements in place before any collection starts);
• appropriate technical assessments and feasibility studies to identify improvement options where relevant;
• a feasibility report at the end of the project that showcases findings and details next steps to progress the project if desired;
• peer-to-peer knowledge sharing across participating blocks, and a project champion to be mentored by Repowering London to develop knowledge and skills.

The project is scheduled to last 12 months and end in April 2024.

Who are Repowering London?

Repowering London is a not-for-profit community energy development organisation that puts people at the heart of the energy system. We empower communities to plan, fund and build their low-carbon future. Our vision is a clean and fair energy future for every Londoner.

Repowering London started in 2013 with a focus on installing rooftop solar that is owned and managed by communities. Today, while we continue to develop community owned rooftop solar, we support and deliver more varied energy and community projects. One such project is support aimed at blocks of flats to improve and upgrade their homes, using a community-led retrofit model.

Why blocks of flats?

Over the past 24 months, Repowering has been collaborating with partners to address the tricky challenge of retrofitting blocks of flats. Blocks of flats pose unique technical, legal and financial challenges, which we hope to overcome as part of this project. The retrofit sector and supply chain is set up for individual, street-level dwellings, with a lack of support and options for blocks of flats.

“We’re delighted to be able to partner with Repowering London to support our CCH members in lowering their carbon footprint. This partnership and project will hopefully not only be the catalyst for this small cohort of London based, flat owning co-operatives to start making significant carbon and energy cost savings but the wider CCH membership. We’re looking forward to working with Repowering London and see this as a great opportunity to learn from each other and further improve the Retrofit Advisor services we’re offering.”

James Neward – CCH Retrofit Service

“The ambition of this project is to trial approaches to early engagement and feasibility that we have developed through research, and through our experience of developing and delivering community-led energy projects. Ultimately, we want to develop an affordable and scalable solution to overcome the barriers to retrofit of blocks of flats, and encourage greater support from policy makers, the supply chain and finance providers.”

Omar Al-Amin – Low Carbon Development Manager, Repowering London