States Housing significantly reduces its carbon footprint

News Release                                                                       30th September 2008

 

States Housing significantly reduces its carbon footprint

 

The programme of refurbishment of Jersey's social housing stock is well underway. 

Thanks to a partnership between Jersey Electricity and the Housing Department, 83 homes at Le Clos de Roncier are benefiting from improvements which will help States tenants reduce the cost of keeping their homes warm, while also benefiting the environment. The planned work includes the installation of more efficient heating, double glazing and better insulation.

Jersey Electricity has been working in association with the Housing Department at Le Clos de Roncier to help provide the most economic, high efficiency and low environmental heating solutions. These will not only be of benefit to the environment, but also the tenants, with improved comfort levels, using standard discounted heating tariffs.

By removing the existing mix of 'fossil fuel' space and water heating systems, and replacing with lower CO2 emitting electric heating, the overall carbon footprint of the estate has been significantly reduced. It is estimated that a reduction of around 260 Tonnes of CO2 every year will be achieved.

The JEC hope to develop proposals to roll this programme out to a number of key estates over the next decade,

Nigel Ricou, Head of Marketing commented:

"Our aim is to work in partnership with the Housing Department throughout its 10 year refurbishment programme, to ensure the delivery of the most energy efficient, high comfort and economic heating solutions, to meet their requirements and the needs of their customers, with minimum impact to the local environment.

We are really excited about this opportunity to make a significant impact on reducing CO2 emissions. It is very satisfying to know that by working together, we have already achieved a reduction of around 260 Tonnes of CO2 each year from just one estate and we hope to be able to undertake a number of similar projects over the next decade. "                                                                               

 

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Assistant Minister for Housing, Deputy Jackie Hilton, added:

"The approval of the Social Housing Property Plan in 2007 gave the Housing Department the means to set about refurbishing homes such as those at Clos de Roncier. A fundamental part of that and any refurbishment is in ensuring that each home has a cost effective and environmentally sustainable heating system and that with energy prices ever increasing, homes are extremely well insulated to minimize heat loss."

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Issued by Lisa Gutcher, Image PR, tel: 734444