Our second Quick Fire Talks event on Buildings and Energy was held at Sustainable Ventures, on the South Bank, on Thursday 27 March. Five speakers from across Lambeth presented their concepts, findings and learnings.
Our second Quick Fire Talks featured short presentations from Lambeth-based organisations and businesses with experience in heat network feasibility, energy efficiency measures and retrofit, as well as green skills in the construction sector. Participants heard about ongoing projects and experiences from peers in the sectors and then had the opportunity to network, build relationships and create awareness of local initiatives.
Bronwen Rice, the Business Liaison and Project Manager at Station to Station Business Improvement District (BID), and Jo Piskorz, Charity Administration Manager at Rathbone, presented two schemes the BID supported for Tulse Hill and West Norwood businesses and charities. They spoke about their experience with the Mayor of London’s Business Climate Challenge, particularly how Rathbone was able to reduce energy usage by 53% through low-cost behaviour change initiatives and the nearly finished Green Grants for White Goods Project, which helps SMEs swap out their white goods for upgraded, more energy efficient versions.
Jackson Bylett, Programme Lead of South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us, spoke about the growth of Heat Networks in London and their potential as a heating and energy alternative in highly dense urban areas. The government’s ambition is to increase the number of buildings supported by heat networks from 3% to 20% by 2025 (opens in a new window). In response, Sustains Us and Lambeth Council have secured funding for a feasibility study for the north of the borough, which will determine the best options for introducing more network-based heating systems harnessing the ambient temperature of the River Thames.
Richard Barwick, the Director of Coombs and Partners, presented about retrofit projects in Lambeth, giving us an in-depth look at how the properties were chosen and redesigned. He also spoke about the company's post-project risk management programme, which helps identify lessons learned, provides a full evaluation of the project, and creates recommendations to mitigate these risks for Local Authorities to use in future projects.
Rebecca Hall, Hub Coordinator at LSBU’s Green Skills Hub, spoke about the hub’s offer of vocational degrees and training focusing on the built environment, supporting London’s green economy, estimated to be worth £50 billion per annum The tri-borough hub offers support to underrepresented groups in Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark, helping BAME people, women, the unemployed, under-25s, and over-50s learn new skills, re-skill, up-skill, and access green jobs and green careers.
More details, findings and insights can be found in the speaker's presentations and the event notes. Join the partnership to access the presentations and notes from the event.
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