A pioneering energy centre opened in Bunhill today will bring heating and hot water to more than 1,350 homes, a school and two leisure centres in Islington.
The revolutionary Bunhill 2 Energy Centre – the first of its kind in the world – will use usually-wasted warm air from the London Underground network to heat water that is then pumped to buildings in the neighbourhood through a new 1.5km network of underground pipes.
This development is a fundamental part of Islington’s Labour-run Council’s plan to tackle the Climate Emergency and achieve the ambitious goal a net zero carbon borough by 2030, fighting against fuel poverty at the same time.
Creating a greener, cleaner, fairer Islington is a top priority for the Council. Heating bills for council tenants connected to the network will be cut by 10 per cent compared to other communal heating systems, cutting the cost of living for hundreds of families in one of our borough’s most deprived areas.
The district heating network is greener because it reuses heat that would otherwise be wasted; those who are connected will be helping to reduce CO2 emissions by around 500 tonnes each year.
The nearby Moreland Primary School is the first school to be connected to the network, which already serves the pool and facilities at Ironmonger Row Baths and Finsbury Leisure Centre.
The new energy centre adds a further 550 homes and a primary school to the existing Bunhill Heat and Power district heating network, launched in Islington in 2012. The network already provides cheaper, greener energy every day of the year.
Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are cutting carbon emissions in a way that also reduces people’s energy bills, helping us to help them at a time when the cost of living is soaring and making a real difference to people’s lives.
“Not only is this contributing to Islington’s commitment to be a net zero carbon borough by 2030, but this initiative also helps to reduce fuel poverty and make Islington a fairer place, while offering our communities a sustainable, cheaper and greener future.”