The Royal Borough of Greenwich has disclosed a site-specific Heat Network Efficiency Scheme capital award for energy-saving improvements at its 112 Eltham Road sheltered-housing scheme in Eltham. The funding is described by the council as £132,000, while programme results give the more precise figure as more than £132,200.
The council’s local announcement was published on 1 October, after the Round 11 award was announced on 23 September. The project concerns planned improvements to the communal heating system; the published information does not say installation has begun and does not give a completion date.
Funding for 112 Eltham Road
The award is intended to improve the performance of the communal heating network serving the sheltered-housing scheme in SE12. The programme results say 41 residents will benefit from the works. The council’s own directory lists 112 Eltham Road as having 39 flats, made up of 23 studios, 13 one-bedroom flats and three two-bedroom flats. That is a unit count and is separate from the published resident figure.
Round 11 of the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme provided more than £12.2 million in capital support to 10 organisations in England and Wales. That capital figure is distinct from the wider Round 11 total of £13.3 million, which also includes revenue support for optimisation studies. The Greenwich award is one of the capital allocations for works to existing heat networks.
What the works are expected to include
The planned package at 112 Eltham Road includes insulation improvements to the block’s communal heating system. The council says these are intended to reduce heat loss and leaks and to reduce the need for regular maintenance.
The project also includes new heat meters, heat interface units, thermostatic radiator valves and thermostats. These measures are expected to give residents better control over heating and energy use, while improving the reliability of the system. The published details describe the intended equipment and outcomes, but do not set out a start date, a works timetable or a completion deadline.
When the improvements are complete, the council estimates that the Eltham Road scheme will save 24.8 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. That figure is an estimate linked to the expected efficiency gains from the upgrade. No household-by-household bill saving has been published.
Comfort, control and reliability
The scheme houses older residents, and the council has presented the grant as a way to improve day-to-day comfort through a more reliable and easier-to-control heating system. Councillor Jackie Smith, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds and Estate Regeneration, is the named council spokesperson for the announcement.
The planned insulation work is aimed at reducing wasted heat in the communal network, while the meters and in-home controls are intended to support clearer monitoring and more responsive heating management. The council says the improvements should help residents enjoy a more comfortable living environment as well as supporting its wider work to reduce emissions.
Part of the heat-network programme
The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme supports improvements to underperforming existing district and communal heating systems in England and Wales. It is a government-funded programme running across the period from 2023-24 to 2029-30, with support available for projects that improve energy performance, reliability and carbon outcomes.
For Greenwich, the 112 Eltham Road award sits alongside the borough’s broader carbon-reduction work for buildings and housing. The disclosed project is specifically focused on the sheltered-housing scheme’s communal heating system, with the confirmed measures limited to insulation improvements, heat meters, heat interface units, thermostatic radiator valves and thermostats. Until the council publishes further details, the status remains an awarded grant for planned works rather than a completed retrofit.
