Camden Council's carbon saving EcoHome was shortlisted for the Refurbishment Award in the category for Property & the Built Environment by Sustain Magazine. The awards celebrate the creativity, commitment and achievement in the field of sustainability.
The EcoHome is a ground breaking experiment led by Camden Council, University College London and industry partners, like Kingspan, to reduce carbon emissions whilst addressing heritage issues. The Victorian home, built in 1850, has undergone improvements that could cut carbon emissions by up to 80%.
Improvements include greatly increased insulation and air tightness, floor and wall insulation, solar UV panels, solar hot-water heat recovery ventilation, rainwater harvesting and double glazed windows.
Camden has over 9,500 solid wall properties, many of which are similar to the EcoHome and are in consercation areas. The EcoHome project will help understanding of how other similar properties could benefit from eco refurbishment.
The Sustainable Housing Awards recognise projects and organisations at the forefront of housing sustainability best practice.
The awards will be presented at a special Gala Dinner, to be held in London, on Tuesday 3 March. The event will showcase those companies, organisations, projects, products, systems and schemes judged by experts and a panel to have demonstrated standout excellence in their chosen category. Details of the award and other finalists shortlisted can be found at www.sustainmagazine.com.
Homeowners have until June next year to apply. Already 7,820 homes in the UK have been allocated a share of £10.4 million. In total, since the Low Carbon Buildings Programme was launched in 2006, almost 12,000 projects have been awarded grants.
Homeowners can apply for grants of up to £2,500 to help towards the cost of installing small scale energy generating equipment.
Charities and public sector bodies can apply for 50% of the costs of installing small scale energy generating equipment.
