Leeds City Council joins 'Energy and Sustainability' forum
Leeds City Council offices at Merrion House, a 1970s building refurbished and redeveloped for Town Centre Securities to achieve BREEAM excellent standards by BDP
Tom Knowland, Head of Sustainable Energy & Climate Change at Leeds City Council will be speaking at our forum next week, 'Energy and Sustainability 2020'.
Tom joined Leeds in 2002 to establish the Council's Environment Unit after previous posts with Oxford City Council, Cherwell District Council and sustainable development specialists, CAG Consultants. He served two years on the Council of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the RSA.
Tom's role is concerned with achieving sustainable development, which in Leeds means achieving the Council's corporate priorities for economic, social and environmental improvement. This will mean encouraging new ways of working that challenge existing orthodoxies and promote new innovative solutions to issues, often working in partnership with a wide range of organisations across the city.
Last month, Leeds City Council announced that thousands of council tenants across the city would benefit from significantly cheaper energy bills as part of a transformational new programme to improve council housing and cut the city's carbon footprint.
As part of the council's commitments to invest in green technologies it has gone out to tender for a provider to design, develop and deliver six new district heating networks that will reduce carbon emissions, help residents save money and improve the wellbeing and comfort of those living in council properties.
The £24 million investment follows the success of Leeds's first district heating network. The first network will provide low carbon waste-powered heat to 1,983 homes by the end of 2020. In Leeds, around a quarter of the city's carbon emissions come from the energy used to provide heat and hot water in homes.
By connecting residents in 1,485 properties to greener technologies, the programme will save a typical 10% on their energy bills. The programme will also benefit employment and create local apprenticeship opportunities in the green industries.