Millions to be invested in making buildings more energy efficient, reports James Cracknell

The government has awarded a £3.8million grant to help Enfield Council’s drive to reduce its carbon emissions.

Council buildings in Enfield will be able to become more energy efficient and less carbon intensive thanks to the money from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The local authority, which aims to become carbon neutral by 2030, successfully bid for money to help deliver heat pumps, solar panels, double glazing, light and heat controls and insulation on council buildings.

Most of the funding – nearly 40% – will be spent on Enfield Civic Centre, while other buildings likely to benefit include Thomas Hardy House, which is home to the Dugdale Centre and some council offices.

Carbon emissions from corporate buildings make up the majority of the council’s direct emissions.

Ian Barnes, the council’s deputy leader and chair of its climate change taskforce, said: “With an ambitious but achievable target for the council to be carbon neutral by 2030, this project sets us on a path to achieving our goals, which will in turn benefit the whole borough.

“We must also look at how our services are delivered day-to-day, how we procure services and how staff commute for work. These are fundamental but not insurmountable challenges for Enfield.”

The £1billion government funding pot provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy aims to help public sector bodies, including local authorities, to invest capital in energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects for non-residential buildings.

The council’s successful bid will help build on existing environmentally-friendly efforts which have already seen emission reduce by almost half over the last decade.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.