Three London programs are retrofitting public buildings and homes and showcasing private sector leaders in energy efficiency.
London has rolled out three initiatives to improve the energy efficiency of the city’s building stock. The suite of programs is composed of two retrofit programs, RE:FIT and RE:NEW, and a commercial sector incentive program, Business Energy Challenge (BEC). RE:FIT aims to retrofit at least 40% of London’s public-owned buildings by 2025 and cut CO2 emissions across the city’s public sector by 45,000 tonnes by the end of 2015. Similarly, RE:NEW plans to retrofit 275,000 private homes by 2017, while reducing CO2 emissions by 93,000 tonnes. RE:NEW’s current phase aims to retrofit approximately 5% of London households. Combined, these programs have retrofitted more than 110,000 London homes and 460 public buildings.
The third program, BEC, complements the public and private home retrofit programs by driving energy efficiency in the commercial sector through an awards scheme based on applicants’ submitted energy data. Fifty-eight businesses have participated in BEC, and the 27 award winners reduced their energy consumption by 181,892 MWh from 2010 to 2014 – enough to power 10,700 UK households for a year.
55,000 tonnes of CO2 saved per year through RE:FIT and RE:NEW projects
The challenge
Workplaces and homes account for 43% and 36% of London’s CO2 emissions, respectively. These programs incentivize investment in energy efficiency upgrades, since, under RE:FIT, the level of energy savings is contractually guaranteed by the energy services company, offering secure financial savings to participating organizations over an agreed payback period.
Co-benefits
Economic The energy saved by the 27 BEC award winners in 2014 was worth $19 million in avoided energy bill charges.
Environmental RE:FIT projects are generating over 2,000 MWh per year from renewable energy technologies. BEC data will shed light on the potential market for solar energy in private businesses.
Health Replacement boilers are a key measure for numerous RE:FIT and RE:NEW projects, resulting in improved air quality and cuts in NOx emissions.
Social RE:FIT has created over 1,700 jobs, and its next phase is slate to yield 2,000 more.
About London
London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. London is a leading global city and is crowned as the world’s largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world. London is a world cultural capital and is the world’s most-visited city as measured by international arrivals. London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. London contains four World Heritage Sites and The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.
