The heating and powering of homes and buildings accounts for the largest share of H&F's greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these emissions come from burning gas for heating and hot water, with a smaller and declining contribution from electricity use. Buildings also account for the largest source of air pollution emissions in the borough, making our work in this area a key 'win-win' for carbon and pollution emissions.
We need to reduce carbon emissions in our buildings to reach our net zero target. This means implementing low-carbon heating, making buildings more energy efficient, and using renewable energy sources.
These measures will help make homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat. Our strategy to secure a more sustainable future for our borough will help to support residents' health and wellbeing and address fuel poverty.
Progress in H&F
2024 saw H&F Council build on its work to improve the sustainability of council-owned homes and buildings. We collaborated with key stakeholders, including residents, housing associations and businesses, to accelerate progress throughout the borough.
Low-carbon heat
- As of 2024 312 H&F social homes are heated by air source heat pumps or hybrid heating systems. The pumps transfer heat from outside air to central heating systems and offer a more sustainable and efficient alternative to boiler-only heating systems.
- We secured funding to deliver heat pumps in thirteen council-owned buildings and four schools, and these projects are now underway.
- We now have ten communal hybrid heat systems in housing estates in H&F. These systems provide heating for households from a central and partially renewable source, cutting emissions and residents' energy bills.
- We are installing one of west London's largest heat pump systems at the Civic Campus in Hammersmith. This project will provide clean, efficient heating to over 200 homes, commercial and business premises and our new and improved Town Hall.
Energy efficiency
- The council reached the final stage of its innovative Energiesprong pilot in 2024, delivering whole house retrofitting to eleven council homes to improve their energy efficiency and cut fuel costs for tenants.
- We have delivered energy efficiency works to more than 1,500 social homes in the past two years, including measures to improve insulation and ventilation and replacing windows and doors. This will enhance the comfort of homes, reduce energy bills and save approximately 390 tonnes of CO2 per year.
- In 2024 we launched H&F Healthy Homes to help residents make their homes warmer and more cost efficient. The service, which offers energy-saving advice, home visits and assistance with accessing financial support, builds on H&F's Winter Ready Homes Scheme, which helped more than 1,700 residents to enhance their homes with simple efficiency measures such as LED lightbulbs and radiator foil.
- We have delivered whole house retrofit plans to 166 privately-owned houses and flats in H&F, enabling residents to identify the best energy efficiency measures for their homes.
- We launched the second round of our energy efficiency grant scheme for local SMEs and funded the retrofit of four organisations' buildings in 2024.
- For the first time, we published advice for residents, schools and businesses to help them tackle indoor air pollution, as part of our new Air Quality Action Plan 2025-30.
Solar energy
- H&F's Community Energy scheme funded new community-owned solar energy projects in 2024, including a £110,000 project to install more than 270 solar panels at Jack Tizard School. This will generate clean, green electricity for the school and save approximately £2,000 in annual bills.
Sustainable planning
- H&F's Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document is being promoted amongst suppliers to maximise the energy efficiency of new developments.
- We are ensuring that new housing in H&F is both affordable and sustainable, with the 100+ affordable new homes being built on the Aintree Estate meeting the Passivhaus classic standard – the highest energy efficiency standards in the UK.