With the cost of living crisis we know that many people are facing difficult times and we want to work with residents to support them. The price of energy has gone up over the last year and we’re looking at ways to help reduce energy consumption on Council housing estates. One way to do this is to look at how the communal heating system on World’s End Estate is used.
We sought the views of residents on a range of proposals.
Heating season
Heating operating hours
Reducing the heating water temperature
Possible negative impacts
After having written to all residents of the estate with the consultation outcomes and plan for implementation, we received further feedback, so we met with World's End Residents Association on Tuesday 10 October regarding heating, and the consultation proposals that we put forward. In that meeting, it was decided that we will not turn the heating off between 11pm and 5am, instead we will leave it on 24hrs a day but between the hours of 11pm and 5am we will apply something called night setback.
Night setback will reduce the heat pumped through the heating circuit so that we can maintain a comfortable temperature in homes during that time, but the system will not operate on full capacity like it would during the day. We will implement this when the actuator control valves have been replaced in all the plantrooms. All being well, this should be completed in a couple weeks’ time (i.e. November 2023). We will trial it for a month before we go back to World’s End to report on the consumption of energy during that period. This will inform a further decision on whether we can continue with that system in place.
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, even with this advantage, the energy costs you’ll see in your service charges 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. We have some recommendations about how to do this.
Reducing the amount of fuel used to heat your home will reduce the amount of energy you pay for. It will also have environmental benefits, minimising the carbon footprint of your building.
What changes do we recommend?
Apart from a few minor issues that are still being addressed at the time of writing, works on the plant rooms and boilers that serve your home have now been completed. This means that we will be able to programme new settings for the heating.
We believe that making the following changes will help manage the energy consumption in your building while maintaining your level of comfort in your home.
The heating service is currently active between the start of October and the end of May. We recommend changing the settings so that the heating is active from mid 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.
Your heating currently operates 24 hours a day. We recommend changing the setting so the heating is turned off between 11pm and 5am. This will save energy consumption over the course of the year.
The water flowing through your radiators is programmed to react to the temperature outside. It will start heating the water in the radiators when the outside temperature drops below 18°C and get hotter as the temperature outside drops. For example if it is 14°C outside, the water in your pipes will be heated to 51°C ; if it’s 12°C outside the water will be hotter at 64°C .
We recommend adjusting the system so it starts heating when it’s below 17°C outside. The system would still react to external temperatures but heat to a slightly lower level to reduce the amount of energy used.
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.
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 the World's End 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.
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