Town Hall to cut down on communal heating in some of its housing blocks to save on fuel

Islington Town Hall. Photograph: Islington Council

The number of hours of communal heating in some Islington council blocks will be cut back to save on fuel costs and help the environment.

Systems controlled by the council for 12 per cent of its tenants and leaseholders will be on for 13 hours a day – down from 18 hours.

Those residents pay a heat charge to the council whilst the rest have individual systems and pay their suppliers separately.

Cllr Una O’Halloran, who has responsibility for housing, said the Town Hall has contacted 4,000 households about saving energy and wants to hear their views.

She told a housing scrutiny meeting yesterday that the council has been able to “get very good wholesale prices for gas for the communal heat and we’ve been able to heat homes relatively cheaply”.

She said residents with communal heating have “paid less than the typical household”, adding: “It will still be less with communal heating.”

However, the global rise in energy price has seen prices rise.

Cllr O’Halloran said: “We want to do everything we can to protect residents from these rises and make sure we claim every penny in the government freeze.”

Since the energy crisis started, the cost of fuel for heating and lighting council homes has increased from £4.3m in 2021/22 to an estimated £21m this financial year.

Overall, the council is facing a £30m increase in energy bills for its services, including schools, leisure centres, street lighting, housing and council buildings.

Residents who pay for communal electricity have already seen an increase in their bill this year, with the cost is expected to rise by 49 per cent.

The council is joining a public energy buying group to reduce its exposure to future price hikes.

It has also set up a weekly steering group to look at ways to manage its energy costs and use.

Other work includes asking managers of council buildings to come up with plans to cut consumption.