In support of ThamesWey’s ambition to make continual improvements to its environmental performance, ThamesWey has implemented an Environmental Management System conforming to the internationally recognised standard ISO 14001.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) were chosen as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited certification body, to certify ThamesWey’s management system. BSI conducted two stages of audits, which covered ThamesWey’s Woking headquarters and its Milton Keynes energy centre. The full scope of activity covered by this certification is :
Provision of low carbon, decentralised energy services to commercial, public and domestic customers’ and head office business administration activities.
Achieving ISO 14001 certification is the culmination of efforts from all staff, though these efforts have already paid dividends with the Environmental Management System proving its value during implementation. In recognition of the value brought by the system, ThamesWey intends to expand the scope of the system and certification to other core group activities over the next year.
The accreditation continues ThamesWey’s long-standing commitment to placing sustainability at the heart of our activities.
ThamesWey is now certified to ISO 14001, certificate number EMS 767491.
ThamesWey Energy’s plans to expand and decarbonise the supply of heat to Woking town centre have received £9.4m of Government support through the national Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP).
Over the next 7 years, the funding will help towards the costs of extending Woking’s heat and cooling networks to supply energy to new developments in the town centre including sites south of the railway, and will enable existing district heat and cooling networks to be connected to ThamesWey’s new Poole Road energy centre and cooling facilities. The HNIP funding will also enable further decarbonisation of heat through the addition of large-scale heat pumps and heat storage capacity at Poole Road. The HNIP funding will provide almost half the total programme of investment of £19m, with construction phased up to the end of the decade. When complete, Woking town centre will benefit from one of the lowest carbon heating systems in the UK.
Between October 2020 and March 2021, ThamesWey delivered the largest energy efficiency retrofit project to date in Surrey. The project ‘Green Jump Surrey’ distributed £6m of grant funding to 594 low-income homes in Surrey, with funds provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Local Authority Delivery scheme.
Each household will cut an average of £660 off their annual energy bills, in April 2022 prices, at a time when energy costs are at an all time high. With energy costs projected to rise even further this Autumn, the financial benefits to the recipient low-income households will be even greater.
The reduction in energy consumption from the 775 energy efficiency measures installed will also avoid 844 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Over the lifetime of these long-term improvements, the saving is equivalent to 3,211 times the average annual household carbon footprint.
Green Jump Surrey delivered the 3rd highest number of upgrades out of 90 similar projects across England, despite the very limited timescales and wider industry challenges that existed over the project duration.
Read the executive summary below for a more in-depth breakdown of the project’s achievements.
ThamesWey’s long-standing domestic energy efficiency project, Action Surrey, has reached a major milestone after completing the 500th energy efficiency measure installation as part of its ‘Green Jump Surrey’ scheme.
The Green Jump Surrey initiative launched in late 2020 after Action Surrey was awarded £9.3m of funding to deliver home energy efficiency retrofits from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) ‘Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery’ scheme.
The fund has helped over 400 Surrey households to receive the energy efficiency measures most suitable to needs of their property, with many more Surrey residents set to benefit. So far, a projected £100,000 will be wiped from fuel bills each year with the average household saving £249. This is almost 5,000 kWh of energy or 1.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, saved per household.
Green Jump Surrey enabled eligible low-income households to claim up to £15,000 per property to winter proof their homes and slash fuel bills. A wide range of energy efficiency measures were available to reflect the varying needs of Surrey’s housing stock. These measures include insulation for solid walls, cavity walls, lofts, park homes and floors; renewables, low carbon heating systems and more.
During and after high performance external insulation is installed on one home.
Action Surrey is delivering the Green Jump Surrey initiative on behalf of a consortium of 10 Surrey local authorities, led by Woking Borough Council. Surrey County Council also plays an important role by contributing £680,000 of top-up funding, which allowed some of the higher cost measures to be fully funded up to £15,000. It is the largest energy efficiency project ever to be delivered by Action Surrey and follows over eight years of successful partnership between the local authorities.
Similar projects exist in other areas of England, however the latest statistical release from the government shows the Woking Borough Council consortium as 2nd nationally in terms of households that have been upgraded through the Local Authority Delivery scheme. ThamesWey and Woking Borough Council are proud to have made Green Jump Surrey such a success locally and nationally, particularly in light of the challenging conditions facing the construction industry this year.
Success has also been measured using the standardised rating system for domestic properties – the Energy Performance Certificate or ‘EPC’. These certificates score a property on a scale from A to G, where A is the most efficient with cheapest fuel bills. EPC ratings improved for many of the properties involved in the scheme, with 100 now achieving a C rating or higher, having previously been rated E or below.
Action Surrey’s team of energy advisors were on hand to help Surrey residents throughout the entire process, from checking their eligibility for the scheme and sourcing quotations for the work from trusted installers, through to checking the promised improvements in home energy efficiency have been achieved.
Whilst the scheme is closed for new applicants, home upgrades are still ongoing and many more Surrey households will benefit from Green Jump Surrey before it closes fully at the end of this year.
Many satisfied residents have already reached out with positive feedback on the scheme.
Mr Bird received loft and cavity wall insulation as well as a solar hot water system. This improved the property’s EPC rating from an E to a C. “The Green Jump Surrey funding process was well informed and very clear…the benefits of the measures as assessed has raised the energy efficiency rating of my property. Overall, I am very pleased with the whole process and the help given to me”.
Ms Stevens, who received underfloor insulation and solar PV panels, noted “It is a delight for me to open the cupboard door and see the light on the PV system operating and knowing I am producing some of the electricity I am consuming”.
Ms Fairman had underfloor insulation installed “My very chilly sitting room is definitely warmer… Thank you to Green Jump Surrey for enabling this amazing new AI technology to help insulate my home”.
Before, during and after one home is transformed visually and thermally with external wall insulation.
ThamesWey has seized the opportunity of two recent developments to implement biodiversity enhancement measures in Woking Town Centre.
The recent completion of the Middle Walk Town Centre Development has transformed the leaky, ageing building into 47 highly energy efficient and modern apartments. Part of this refurbishment included installing around 500m² of green roof, with both intensive and extensive sections, and balcony planters forming a 10m tall green wall of wildflowers, shrubs and grasses.
Balcony planters at Middle Walk
Toward the eastern side of the town centre, the ‘Cornerstone’ office has also undergone an extensive renovation converting the office into 94 apartments. Over 100m² of green roof is a feature of this redevelopment, which is due to be completed Autumn 2021.
This form of urban greening supports Woking Borough Council’s 2050 sustainability strategy for its biodiversity credentials, but also because of the energy-saving impact of these installations. In the summer, the green roof and walls shade the building, which reduces the temperature of the building fabric and mitigates the risk of overheating. In the winter, the insulating properties work to retain heat within the building, therefore reducing the amount of energy the occupants need to use to warm their homes. This makes for a comfortable and affordable place to live.
Part of the Sedum green roof at ‘Cornerstone’
Green roofs and walls are not only of value to the building occupants, but also benefit the local community around them. The plants add aesthetic value to the local area, increasing feelings of wellbeing. The variety of plants used range from shrubs such as Bell Heather, Dwarf Gorse and European Blueberry to wildflowers like Knapweed, Cowslip and Ox-Eye Daisies, and climbers including Hart’s Tongue Fern and Morrows Sedge. These attractive plants contribute to improving the biodiversity within the town centre, providing habitats for small invertebrates and a food source for birds.
The plant layers have the ability to improve local air quality by trapping pollutants as well as capturing and storing carbon dioxide, in a process known as carbon sequestering. The green wall at Middle Walk alone is capable of sequestering an estimated 830kg of carbon a year.
Urban greening also benefits the community in times of extreme rainfall. The plants and soil act to slow the speed at which rainfall enters the drainage system, reducing the risk of flooding during times of highest precipitation.
