sustainability

We all need to do our bit to help the environment. On this page we offer some simple ways that you can save energy and money as well as explaining how Homes for Haringey are working to improve the environment

• Top tips to help save energy and money
• Warmer and greener homes for council tenants
• Decent, energy efficient homes for all
• Working more efficiently

Top tips to help save energy and money

1. Fit energy efficient light bulbs.
2. Don’t overfill your kettle. Only boil as much water as you need.
3. Turn your heating down. By reducing your heating by one degree, you could save as much as 10% off your heating bill.
4. Turn appliances off, such as televisions and satellite receivers, instead of leaving them on standby.
5. Walk or cycle instead of driving short distances.

If you would like the chance to win an energy efficient lightbulb simply contact us. If you have a useful tip, a great recipe or a success story that we can use in our magazine Homes Zone please tell us and we'll send you a free energy efficient light bulb.

Email: communications@homesforharingey.org
Tel: 020 8489 1582

Warmer and greener homes for council tenants

A recent study showed that about 50% of carbon emissions in Haringey come from domestic energy use.

Homes for Haringey has a key role to play in reducing this figure.

We are working towards providing every council tenant in Haringey with an energy and water efficient home.

We have been working together with British Gas on the Here to HELP scheme. As part of this scheme, many council tenants in Haringey have benefited: we’ve insulated 2,079 lofts and 426 cavity walls.

The loft insulation we use is 300mm thick. This is better than current building regulations require so will help keep tenants’ homes warm for many years to come.

Over the past three years British Gas have given us 140,000 energy efficient light bulbs. We hand these out to tenants at residents meetings and other events and fit them in every home that a new tenant moves into.

We are installing double-glazed windows and temperature controls; replacement roofs have improved insulation; and we invest about £1.7 million every year in replacing ageing boilers with efficient condensing boilers.

Decent, energy efficient homes for all

Later this year our constructor partners will start to survey council-owned properties to find out what work needs to be done to each one. When they do this, they will collect data so we can calculate the energy rating of the housing stock before and after the works. This information will help us improve the energy efficiency of the existing council houses and flats and contribute to the reduction of fuel poverty and CO2 emissions in the borough.

Working more efficiently

Homes for Haringey is looking at the amount of energy staff use when going about their everyday work and exploring ways to reduce it. These include:

• Developing staff awareness of energy issues
• Encouraging staff to adopt energy saving practices
• Developing ‘green’ travel policies
• Reviewing our accommodation use and staff working practices, for example home working policies.
• Minimising waste and recycling greater volumes and types of materials

Find out more about how you can help the environment by recycling.