Reducing energy consumption on Elm Park Gardens Estate

Overview

Consultation to reduce energy consumption in your home

With the cost of living crisis we know that many people are facing difficult times and we want to work with you to support you. The price of energy has gone up over the last year and we’re looking at ways to help you reduce your energy consumption. One way to do this is to look at how the communal heating system in your home is used and we’d like your opinion on this.

The increase in energy prices affects everyone across the country. We buy the energy for your heating and hot water in bulk from suppliers to keep the costs down. But regrettably, even with this advantage, the energy costs you’ll pay this year will go up; the estimated unit cost for gas has risen by 229 per cent and electricity by 125 per cent.

How can the Council help?

We can make changes to the way your heating system is managed which will reduce the energy used in the building without compromising your comfort; this could reduce the amount of energy you pay for. It will also have environmental benefits, reducing the carbon footprint of your building.

What changes do we recommend?

• Heating season

The heating service is currently active between mid-September to the end of May. We recommend changing the settings so that the heating is active from the start of October until the end of April. This will help save energy consumption over the course of the year. We can override the settings if there’s an unusual cold snap outside the proposed heating season.

• Communal areas

Where there are radiators fitted in the communal parts of the building, i.e. in stairwells and corridors, we recommend that we turn these off manually. This would help reduce fuel consumption and deliver an overall saving over the course of a year.

Work to improve your communal heating system

The system that manages and automates the boilers serving your home is outdated and we recommend changing it. Upgrading this system would allow us to control more options to help manage energy consumption, including:

• Heating times – this feature would allow us to make the heating come on between set times; for example, it could be turned off for a few hours in the middle of the night which could save energy.
• Heating temperature – this feature would allow us to set the temperature the boiler heats to, relative to the outside temperature. For example, we could adjust it so if it was 15°C outdoors the water in the radiators would be 58°C, but if the outside temperature dropped below 11°C the boiler would pump out water at 70°C, allowing you to keep the temperature in your flat at a comfortable level, but not using the boiler more than is necessary.

Upgrading the management system for your building would incur cost which would be passed on to leaseholders proportionally, in line with the terms of your lease and the relevant legislation. In the survey we’ll ask you if you want us to start working towards this. Any recommendations would be subject to further consultation.

Residents of Elm Park House

As you will be aware from our recent letters, there is already work planned to refurbish the plant room that serves your homes. This would include a more modern building management system that offers some of the above options. You don’t need to answer the question about upgrades to the system.

Other support available

We live in challenging times and your financial circumstances may be changing for any number of reasons. If you’re struggling to make ends meet, there are many ways we can support you to get back on track.

Please don’t wait to ask for advice – we’re here to help you. To discuss any additional help and support you may require, please contact our team by calling 0800 137 111 or emailing HM-RentIncome2@rbkc.gov.uk.

You can also check out our cost of living support hub online at www.rbkc.gov.uk/cost-living-support-hub.

Why your views matter

Please complete the survey and let us know what you think about our recommendations. After six weeks we’ll review the feedback you’ve sent in and take a decision on the next steps. We’ll write to you to let you know what’s happening.

Please note we can only take into account the views of tenants and leaseholders living on the estate and can only accept one response per household. This exercise focuses on those living on Elm Park Gardens Estate - we will be rolling out the consultation to other estates that have a communal heating system soon.

If you have any questions, or would like the survey in another language or format, please call on 0800 137 111, email HM-RentIncome2@rbkc.gov.uk.