Nottingham City Council named Local Authority of the Year for energy efficiency work across the city

On Thursday 5 ^th May, Nottingham City Council was named Local Authority of the Year in the Regional Energy Efficiency Awards, demonstrating the council’s commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2028. The council has won this title for two consecutive years, after winning in the same category in the National Energy Efficiency Awards in February.

Over the past 12 months, our Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability division have worked hard to improve the energy efficiency of the council’s estate, local businesses, and homes across the city and beyond. Not only does this work reduce the city’s carbon emissions, but it also helps to improve the city’s air quality, reduce bills, and help maximise income for the city’s residents. The vital projects that the council is delivering have seen carbon emissions per capita reduce by more than 52% since 2005.

Some of our key highlights from the past 12 months include:

• Installing 720 solar panels on the roof of the Broad Marsh Car Park and integrating vehicle charging infrastructure into the new car park
• Supporting 34 SMEs to introduce energy efficiency measures through the Accelerating Reduction in Carbon scheme
• Transforming hard-to-heat homes with a range of measures such as air-source heat pumps, super-insulated wall panels, new doors and windows, solar panels, and new roofs
• Completing over 2,500 domestic and commercial Energy Performance Certificates to support a variety of schemes
• Supporting organisations across the Midlands to reach net zero through the work of the Midlands Net Zero Hub

At the Regional Energy Efficiency Awards, Nottingham City Council was also Highly Commended in the Vulnerable Customer Support Campaign category, as the Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability division works increasingly hard to reduce instances of fuel poverty across the city.

Wayne Bexton, Director of Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability, said: “To secure the Local Authority of the Year accolade amongst such fierce competition for the second year running is testament to the dedication, enthusiasm and skill of the fantastic staff working on this agenda for Nottingham City Council. Undoubtedly, citywide and regional partners have also made this possible, stepping up to work in collaboration with us to deliver on a range of initiatives that are saving carbon, reducing costs and making Nottingham more sustainable. Services will continue to work hard as we look to the challenges of the next 12 months.”

If you want to improve energy efficiency in your life and to support Nottingham’s ambition to be the first carbon neutral city in the UK, sign up for the Green Rewards app to be in with a chance of winning prizes every month for taking sustainable actions.