Low-carbon zones set to make London greener

Ten London boroughs chosen as “low-carbon zones” will receive at least £200,000 each to train citizens as “energy doctors,” set up electric-car charging points, improve energy efficiency and launch other green initiatives.

London Mayor Boris Johnson announced the winning boroughs at the London Congress at the Guildhall. The 10 new low-carbon zones — which include more than 13,000 residences, some 1,000 shops and businesses, 20 schools and one hospital — will aim to cut carbon emissions by 20.12 per cent by 2012.

“There was a high calibre of bids from across the boroughs and it was a difficult choice, but the winning entries are championing the latest technologies, which will help us to become a leading low-carbon city,” Johnson said.

The low-carbon zones include:

• Barking Town Centre (Barking and Dagenham), which aims to help low-income households with insulation and heating, set up charging  points for electric vehicles and increase the area’s decentralised energy network;
• Muswell Hill (Haringey), which plans to make community buildings more energy efficient and  install solar panels on a major retailer’s roof and use the resulting energy to power local homes;
• Archway (Islington), which plans to train residents as “energy doctors” who can audit homes for energy efficiency improvements;
• Brixton (Lambeth), which will work to improve the energy efficiency of community buildings and provide low-carbon heating to residents from Kings College Hospital;
• Lewisham Town Centre (Lewisham), which plans to find innovative ways to improve the energy efficiency of period housing in a local conservation area;
• Wandle Valley (Merton), which will train residents as “energy doctors” and seek ways to generate heating energy from waste;
• Ham and Petersham (Richmond upon Thames), which will work with Oxford University to roll out a smart metering scheme;
• Peckham (Southwark), will will train residents in energy efficiency and upgrade heating systems in flats to communal heating systems;
• Hackbridge(Sutton), which plans to offer low-cost insulation to residents, improve energy efficiency in schools and use decentralised energy to heat older homes; and
• Queen’s Park (Westminster), which will set up electric vehicle charging points and work to convert heating systems on local estates to combined heat and power (CHP).

“We need major cuts in carbon dioxide emissions to tackle climate change,” said Martin Powell, project delivery director for the London Development Agency (LDA). “With the LDA’s funding, Low-Carbon Zones will help make significant carbon dioxide reductions in communities across London by changing behaviours and promoting energy efficiency in a specific area.”