London,
18
March
2021
|
16:25
Europe/London

Climate and air pollution action continuing at pace in Camden

The council recently successfully secured a £820,000 grant from government to install an air source heat pump system at Swiss Cottage library.

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a Sustainable Camden
“Put simply, the climate emergency is the most serious threat to our planet.

“Carbon dioxide emissions in Camden have fallen 39% over the last 10 years, but we know we need go further and more urgently.

“In 2019 we declared a climate emergency and committed to doing everything we could to make Camden a zero carbon borough by 2030.

“To help us achieve this stretching borough wide ambition, we know we need to insulate homes and switch to lower carbon forms of heating, such as air source heat pumps which also assist in combating pollution caused by domestic and commercial gas boilers.

“This recent grant, for Swiss Cottage library, along with several others secured since September 2020 means that we are better placed to deliver on our commitment to help make Camden a zero carbon borough.”
Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a Sustainable Camden

The £820,000 grant secured from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will enable the council to install an air source heat pump for Swiss Cottage Library, complementing the solar installation installed in 2019, which now meets around 8% of the library’s power demands. The funding will also help to improve building fabric and cover the installation of LED lighting. It is anticipated that once the works are complete, a saving of 127 tonnes of CO2e per annum will be achieved across the lifetime of the project.

The council was also successful in bidding to the government’s Green Homes Local Authority Delivery funding secured to deliver an extensive carbon reducing retrofit on 17 of the least energy efficient Council homes in Camden.

The council has also switched all corporate and schools energy supplies to renewable energy tariffs.

Camden has also secured £100,000 from the DEFRA Air Quality Fund for a project to install electric power supplies at licensed ice cream van trading locations, helping to reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions produced by engine idling.

Further information

You can read more information on the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme online.