Most urban councils have tower blocks that were built in the 1960s. They can have expensive cladding fitted externally to improve insulation, but they tend to have cavity walls so it would be cheaper to fill them if it were possible. It hasn’t been until recently. Now 10:10 Council Camden has pioneered a system of installing cavity wall insulation in high-rise towers using abseiling techniques. If your area has tower blocks why not contact Camden and follow their example?

Free cavity and roof insulation for all
10:10 Councils Kirklees, Leicester and Sheffield give out free cavity wall and roof insulation to all residents in both social and private housing. Some of the money comes from energy companies under CERT (the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme); some comes from the authorities themselves because this is generally considered to be the cheapest way to reduce the carbon emissions of a local authority area. Have you thought of doing this in your area?

10 Day Bike Tours
Sustainability leadership training on two wheels

Looking to kick-start your 10:10 effort? We're conspiring with the Otesha Project to offer 10 day bike tours designed to get your team on the right trackand make your work environment a cleaner, greener, healthier and more productive place.

Workplace scheme participants will receive dedicated training on the best ways to reduce office energy use, get help inputting baseline data into the 10:10 emissions calculator and learn behaviour change strategies that work. There's also a short course option for those who can't spare a week away from the office.
Book now | More info

Dear 10:10 Councils,

This is the first of what will now be a regular 10:10 Councils newsletter. If you’re not the person who should be receiving these emails, then please let me know. If there are others you want to add to this e-newsletter list, then please ask them to sign up on the 10:10 website as if they were signing up as a council. They will then automatically be added to the e-newsletter list.

I hope by now you’ve all seen the new baselining tool. If you have any questions then please contact baseline@1010uk.org. Most of you are planning to use your 2009/10 National Indicator 185 figures as your baseline so they won’t be available for a few months yet, but if you’re doing anything different, then feel free to upload your data.

Every month is going to be a thematic campaign from now on. February is insulation. March is heating. We’re looking for case studies from 10:10 Councils, some of which we might want to film. So please get in touch if you’re doing something really interesting on a particular theme and you’d be happy for us to publicise it on the 10:10 website.

The Campaign is going tremendously well. 140 councils responsible for services to nearly 23m people have now signed up to 10:10. Birmingham, the UK’s largest council, has just committed to the Campaign which is fantastic news. With Birmingham that's 38% of the UK population covered by 10:10 Councils. I hope we’ll reach 50% without too much trouble and from there the sky’s the limit. If there’s a council in your area which hasn’t signed up and you’d like some help to get them on board, then please let me know.

Here’s a thought to end on. Last week I organised a Passivhaus conference in London for planners, building control officers, architects and housing associations. It was packed. The Passivhaus standard was created by German engineers and architects more than 20 years ago and is now widely used for building and refurbishment in Europe. Thick walls, triple glazed windows and a heat recovery system form the basis of a PH building. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) recently said it was the only way to reach zero carbon buildings (Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes). PH is about removing 85% of the energy requirement of a building and maximising the comfort of the occupants. A PH building now costs between 0% and 7% more than conventional build but less if lifetime energy bills are included in build costs. Camden’s draft Local Development Framework asks developers to go for PH. Hampshire County Council is building a PH school on the Isle of Wight. Why not see if your planning department is thinking about PH for new build and refurbishment?

All the best, Alexis

Cllr Alexis Rowell
Coordinator, 10:10 Councils &
Chair, Camden Council all-party Sustainability Task Force

Mobile: 07712 536 078

P.S. If you have a new carbon-cutting initiative you'd like to publicise, 10:10's new press team want to hear from you. Contact press@1010uk.org

Communities, councils and a low carbon future – what we can do if governments won't by Cllr Alexis Rowell will be published by Green Books in June 2010.