Hackney non-profit organisations to slash bills and emissions with £600k boost for solar and energy upgrades
More than two dozen Hackney organisations are set to cut their energy bills and carbon emissions after securing a share of nearly £600,000 in fresh council funding.
Hackney Empire, Claudia Jones Domestic Violence Charity, Beis Rochel d'Satmar Girls' School and the North London Muslim Community Centre are just some of the groups to benefit from the latest round of the borough’s Community Energy Fund.
Delivered by the council’s energy services arm Hackney Light and Power, 27 organisations and projects have been awarded a combined £592,466, backing a wave of upgrades from solar panels to insulation and smarter energy systems.
Of those, 12 organisations will go ahead with on-the-ground improvements – installing measures such as solar panels, heat pumps, improved insulation and energy-efficient lighting – while a further 15 will carry out detailed studies to plan future clean energy upgrades.
Together, the work funded in this round is expected to cut around 162 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, with the studies paving the way for even bigger savings in future.
Several organisations will now be able to install solar panels and low-carbon heating, while others will upgrade to LED lighting, better glazing and improved heating controls to reduce waste and bring down running costs.
The latest investment builds on a programme that has in total supported 71 projects across 54 organisations.
Among those already benefiting is Laburnum Boat Club in Haggerston, which received support in an earlier round.
Beth Ettinger, Co-ordinator at Laburnum Boat Club told us: "Thanks to Hackney Light and Power we now have solar panels, a new air-source heat pump and energy efficient lighting, which has cut our energy costs by over 60% and greatly reduced our carbon footprint.
“As a small children's charity this has had a big impact, reducing our costs, helping us develop social action projects with young people and confirming our commitment to a greener future for all.
“It has also helped open other funding streams for us for further capital works and revue projects so we can deliver more services for young people in Hackney.”
The fund works by pairing community groups with local energy specialists, including Home Energy Action Lab and Stokey Energy, helping them design and deliver projects from start to finish.
In total, nearly £1.5 million has now been committed through the scheme, cutting an estimated 148.77 of carbon emissions.
Cllr Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport said: “Our community energy fund is helping local organisations, like schools and charities, to install clean energy in Hackney, creating a greener, healthier borough.”
“With the support of some of London’s incredible community energy groups, this is our fourth annual round and we’ve already started feasibility studies or completed installations of solar energy, new building management systems and insulation at over 50 organisations.”
“This not only creates new clean power in Hackney and reduces energy demands from the grid; it also helps to cut bills for some of the amazing organisations that do so much for people in Hackney, and to generate green local jobs.”