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Four hundred homes in Sneinton are part of a European project to make them warmer, cheaper to run and fit for the future.

 The £5m project, called REMOURBAN, is piloting new technologies to make a step change in the amount of energy older houses use, so they’re ready for low carbon standards in 2050. The project will reduce residents’ bills and make them warmer through innovative insulation techniques, and in some cases energy generation and battery storage.

What Newark Cresent will look like once external solid wall insulation is installed

Three Nottingham City Homes neighbourhoods across Sneinton have been identified for the energy upgrades. All tenures, social, leaseholder and owner occupier will be included in the pilot. The first 122 homes are already complete, with homes in Windmill Lane getting external wall insulation and LED lighting, and work is about to start on the same measures at nine apartment blocks on Newark Crescent.

Four low rise apartment blocks - Morley, Keswick, Haywood and Byron Courts - will be connected to Nottingham’s energy-from-waste district heating network, along with receiving solar panels, battery storage and external wall insulation. The apartments will be warmer than before but have lower bills and all their energy needs will be fully met from low carbon sources. This scheme is also piloting the concept of low temperature district heating which could enable Nottingham to roll out this low carbon energy source to many more domestic properties in the future, at a much lower cost. 

Finally, the most innovative solutions will be applied to nine houses which will receive a “whole-house” solution which reduces their net energy usage to zero through a variety of extensive energy efficiency and energy generation measures.  Part of the innovation is how the works are funded, with the household paying an ‘Energy plan.’ This means the resident has a much more comfortable home, and a flat rate cost for energy which will not rise significantly when energy bills rise, but it means the landlord will receive an on-going income which will help to fund works to more homes. 

 A number of organisations across the city are working together to deliver this project, including Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham City Council, Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham Energy Partnership, locally based renewable energy company Sasie Ltd, and system solution firm Infohub Ltd.

Mrs Margaret Langsdale, a Nottingham City Homes tenant from Windmill Lane who has recently had external wall insulation and LED lights installed said: ‘The biggest change is that the house is much warmer. Before the external wall insulation as soon as the heating was turned off it would be cold, now the house holds the heat for much longer. The gas bills have gone down a bit but the biggest benefit is that we get a lot more heat for the money that we do spend on bills.

‘The LED lighting has been great; the rooms are much brighter especially the kitchen and bathroom which need enclosed lights and the light was quite dull before. The electricity bill has gone down since the LEDs were installed.’