Nottingham City Council is working with Nottingham City Homes to connect three tower blocks to the District Heating scheme.
270 households in Bentinck Court, Manvers Court and Kingston Court Flats in Sneinton will be connected over the coming months as part of a wider range of energy saving improvements to the buildings
The households are solid wall properties, with electric storage heaters. This is one of the most inefficient property types which means many of the residents living in these blocks are struggling with very high fuel bills.
As well as being connected to the district heating system, the flats will also benefit from external insulation, new A-rated windows and doors plus enclosed balconies in a £7.5 million package of improvements.
Cllr Alan Clark, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability, at Nottingham City Council, said: “This important work means the properties will now have a more efficient heating supply and reduced fuel bills. They will also be issued with our new EE Monitors, which are easy to use and help customers manage their energy consumption with complete visibility of their credit status at any time of the day or night.
“It is important we build on the success of our District Heating Network as any reduction in dependency on carbons fuels not only reduces the local footprint but also has a beneficial long-term effect on the local economy. This type of work enhances our national profile for energy, further reflecting our status as the UK’s Energy City.”
“We are also keen to see greater powers devolved locally so that there is greater local control of energy-efficiency funding and programmes to create a joined-up strategy for energy reduction and production through engagement with the private and public sectors.”
Steve Hale, Director of Property Services at NCH, added: “For many years our tenants living in the Sneinton tower blocks have told us how difficult and expensive they are to heat. The improvements we are making to the blocks, including adding them to the district heating system and the external insulation, will make them much more energy efficient and cheaper to live in.
“We know from our previous work on properties that have had external insulation fitted that our tenants have seen significant reductions in their fuel bills and their health has improved as they live in a warmer home. There has been a commitment to replace the electric heating with more efficient district heating supplied by Enviroenergy. NCH is working in partnership with Highway and Energy Infrastructure and other specialist sub-contractors to deliver the project
The final route selection takes in to account build ability, access arrangements and the future maintenance of the pipe. The route is the first connection to the Southside mains extension completed in 2012. The connection runs from the existing service on Lace way to the two substations at Kingston and Bentinck Court via Poplar, Evelyn, Lower Eldon, Beaumont Street and Sneinton Road