01 November 2021
Nottingham green housing project showcased at COP26 global conference
A project to transform some of Nottingham’s hardest-to-heat council homes into super warm and energy efficient houses is being showcased at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
The Energiesprong NCH2050 Homes project, for NFA member Nottingham City Homes, is among 17 projects from around the world on show at the conference, which begins today in Glasgow.
The project is about fitting out homes for the future, making sure they are low carbon or near net-zero carbon. These retrofits also cut residents’ energy bills, reduce fuel poverty and create warmer, energy efficient homes that meet 2050 standards now. The Deep Retrofit Energy Model project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Pictures and information about the project will be on display with other ‘exemplarary’ low-carbon projects for delegate and online conference visitors in the UK Built Environment Virtual Pavilion, organised by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). The pavilion will also host speeches and panel discussions as part of the main conference.
The pavilion is one of many activities being planned to highlight the built environment’s role in tackling climate change, given that it creates 40 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. The exhibition highlights how buildings and cities can be a significant part of the solution to the climate and environmental emergency.
Read more about the Nottingham City Homes retrofit model here. In our COP26 Viewpoint blog, Emily Braham, former Head of Energy at NCH and now director of EnergiesprongUK, discusses how much she and her colleagues learned from the city’s first hugely successful whole-home retrofits, and how the focus has now shifted to development of incremental retrofits to fit the stretched budgets of social landlords.
Nick Murphy, Chief Executive at Nottingham City Homes, said: “To be just one of 17 projects worldwide to be chosen for the UN showcasing shows what an impactful project NCH2050 is. We are making improvements to cold, hard to heat council homes, transforming them to make them warmer, bringing down bills for our tenants and helping to reduce carbon emissions.
“It really is an honour to be showcased alongside some of the best projects across the world, projects that are making a real difference to the environment. We hope that others around the world will see the benefits of this project and they too will look at ways of transforming older, colder homes in their cities – why demolish homes and rebuild when you can upgrade and improve them with home energy retrofits.”