Residents of Leeds green tower block reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions

(18/03/2010)

Thanks to an innovative ‘Green Tower Block’ scheme run by West North West Homes Leeds (WNWHL), residents of a Leeds tower block have saved a combined £10,000 on their annual fuel bills and reduced carbon emissions by over 7,000 tonnes over the last year.

The scheme which began in February 2009 at Grayson’s Crest in Kirkstall, involved a programme of large-scale refurbishments to improve the energy efficiency of the building and to save residents money on their fuel bills.

Since February 2009, residents have saved between £100 and £145 on their annual fuel bills in addition to reducing their individual carbon footprint by between 94 and 103 tonnes of CO2 each year. The Grayson’s Crest Scheme has also just won the 2010 Considerate Constructor Scheme National Site Awards which recognise sites’ excellent standards of consideration towards their workforce, their neighbours and the environment.

Refurbishments included fitting cavity wall insulation and modern external cladding to insulate the building and eliminate damp.

A key feature of the project involved creating a designated recycling area inside the building itself – replacing a defective internal rubbish and waste chute that was not functioning properly. The recycling centre is now regularly used by residents and the scheme has received a positive reaction from residents.

Grayson Crest resident, David Ballard said: “The improvements have made a real difference, the recycling in particular has worked a lot better than I expected it to and I now recycle all my rubbish. As part of the works I also had my bathroom refurbished and had new kitchen units put in which are much better. The work has definitely had a positive impact on me and the whole block looks cleaner and tidier than before.”

The project was carried out after consultation with residents and followed a customer survey which revealed the need for extensive refurbishment work at the 69 apartment building. The results of the pilot come one year after the original work began and highlight the long-term impact of the original refurbishment.

Following the project’s success, WNWHL are investigating whether the scheme could be repeated across the city’s 47 other high-rise blocks.

Commenting on the initiative, Claire Warren WNWHL Chief Executive said: “The refurbishment works at Grayson Crest have been really successful and made a real difference to the lives of our residents. The environmental benefits of this scheme in particular are very encouraging and WNWHL will now determine if there are other tower blocks across the city that could also benefit from a similar scheme.”

The initial refurbishment works were carried out by contractor Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) as part of West North West Homes Leeds’ Decent Homes refurbishment programme. In addition to the energy saving upgrades, FHM contractors also refurbished or replaced 37 new kitchens and 57 new bathrooms at Grayson Crest.

Re-wiring work was also completed in several other properties and customers were consulted throughout the refurbishment process.

Related categories:  Biodegradable waste   Energy saving technologies   Paper and cardboard recycling   Plastic recycling