Repowering London is a not-for-profit community energy development organisation that puts people at the heart of the energy system and empowers communities to plan, fund and build their low-carbon future. It does this by delivering renewable energy projects that are led and owned by Londoners and provide direct benefits to them, and by providing mentoring, training and work experience. It is also leading on energy innovation, pioneering new urban energy solutions through technology trials and pilot projects.

Future Climate is a not-for-profit organisation working at city, UK and European levels. It works on policy and innovative delivery programmes to bring about sustained action on climate change.  Future Climate uses the experiences of delivering on the ground to bring new thinking in policy making, as well as undertaking research specifically to inform the policy debate.  Future Climate’s main focus is on sustainable energy in buildings, informed and supported by wider perspectives: addressing energy poverty, better housing and improving air quality.

With our support, Repowering London and Future Climate collaborated on a research and knowledge exchange project to accelerate the decarbonisation of low-rise blocks of flats in the private sector.

Twenty-one percent of homes in England are flats and most of these are in the private sector. Research by Future Climate for the GLA has found that levels of uptake of energy efficiency measures for privately owned flats are lower than for street-level properties or social housing flats.

This project aims to quantify the carbon saving potential of this type of housing, assess the benefits of a whole building retrofit approach, and address gaps in engagement, advice and financing models to help increase uptake of low-carbon technologies in privately owned blocks of flats.