Ealing Council is hoping to chop 29% off its energy bill following a series of upgrades to three of its buildings.

Ealing Town Hall, Perceval House and Greenford Hall – all owned by the council – are undergoing a major energy overhaul as part of an energy performance contract (EnPC) between Ealing Council and energy supplier E.ON, which will see E.ON guarantee savings of 29%.

The measures are expected to save the council around 1,122 tonnes of carbon per year, delivering annual savings of £192,592 across all three buildings.

Boiler optimisation situation

Work has now been completed to improve the efficiency of the heating and mechanical equipment in the trio of buildings, as well as a number of energy efficiency upgrades including advanced boiler optimisation, new lighting control systems, and upgrades to the building management system and air handling units.

A new lighting control system at Perceval House will include motion sensors to control lights, daylight dimming and timing controls. According to E.ON, lights which may previously have been left on throughout the night and visible from the street, will now be automatically switched off when the building is not in use.

“We have a commitment not only to improve Ealing’s carbon footprint, but to set an example to our residents that we care about securing a more sustainable future for our buildings and city,” said Ealing councillor Yvonne Johnson. “Working with E.ON as part of Ealing’s sustainability commitment has saved us time and money, whilst guaranteeing the level of energy savings within a fixed budget.”

Huge potential

E.ON has been building its presence as a provider of EnPCs for two years, following its first contract with the Newham Hospitals NHS Trust in East London. The company currently has around six EnPCs under contract, an around ten more in the pipeline, however a spokesman for E.ON told Energy Demand that there is still huge potential amongst local authorities and private businesses.

“Across the country a couple of dozen councils and private companies have caught on to the idea that energy efficiency investment is an excellent use of their resource,” the spokesman said. “But that still leaves a couple of hundred councils and a couple of thousand companies that still haven’t grasped that.”