Decarbonising our operational properties and housing estates

We conducted building surveys to identify the impacts from operating buildings, the scale of energy consumption and consider returned cost, energy and carbon savings. The results informed the development of a five-year capital programme running from 2022 to 2027 consisting of capital projects, meaning improvement works, for buildings earmarked through the surveys.

Capital projects are often large-scale interventions to buildings, such as energy efficiency upgrades, building improvements, lighting, ventilation, heating, cooling, and humidification. These projects are all aimed at reducing emissions through each stage of a buildings life cycle.

Metering and control systems have also been upgraded to help monitor and manage data to provide deeper insights into areas such as energy consumption during the operation and use of buildings.

Grid decarbonisation refers to reducing the amount of emissions generated through energy production and distribution by the National Grid. While it is largely out of the City Corporation’s control, we have planned interventions to factor in any shortfalls in grid decarbonisation. This means that some of our interventions will make up the difference if the Grid does not decarbonise at a rate needed to help us meet our net zero ambition by 2027.

Here in the City, Citigen district network supplies heating, power and cooling to several key City Corporation sites such as Smithfield Market and the Barbican Centre. The Citigen power station has introduced new heat pumps beneath the Square Mile which is becoming one of the UK’s largest low carbon heating and cooling systems. Our supply agreements with Citigen currently run to 2027, with Citigen obliged to deliver a 20% reduction in carbon during that period.

In 2020, the City Corporation signed its own Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with international energy provider Voltalia. A PPA is a long-term contract between an electricity generator and customer to negotiate a fixed price contract for receiving energy. In our case, this energy is renewable and is generated by a solar farm in Dorset.

In 2023, the renewable energy generated by the solar farm began to power our operations and sites such as Tower Bridge. Today, this accounts for more than half of our own electricity consumption.

You can learn more about our experience in our South Farm Solar Park video that will take you through the solar farm in Dorset.