Milestone moment for London borough as crane lifts 10 tonnes of heat pumps onto an historic grade two listed building

Hillingdon Council celebrates biggest government decarbonisation grant in Greater London

A crane did the heavy lifting when 10 tonnes worth of giant air source heat pumps were carried onto the roof of Uxbridge Civic Centre.

Engineers spent hours planning the moment the Thermonova heat pumps could be placed on roof of the Grade II listed building – ensuring the surface was strong enough to take the weight of each one tonne pump.

The roof underwent a complete retrofit after receiving funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The concrete surface was replaced with waterproof liquid with a fibre mat. Together with the heat pumps, the new materials weigh the same as the original concrete.

Gary Penticost, Hillingdon Council’s Director of Operational Assets said: “This was a great learning project, allowing us to address the challenges associated with a listed building and enabling other work.

“The age of the building always influences the project’s progress, and the lessons learnt are invaluable especially when you need to satisfy conservations needs.

“We received great internal support and are dedicated to creating a green and sustainable borough.”

The council’s project team oversaw the installation, joined by representatives from contractors Ameresco, who are delivering the works on behalf of the council.

Hillingdon Council has received £13.75 million, the largest government grant awarded in Greater London, from the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix.

The council has a net zero target by 2030 and this ambitious project will support the authority to cut carbon emissions in several of its largest buildings.

Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Hillingdon Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport, said: "We're committed to creating a green and sustainable borough.

"Receiving the largest government grant in Greater London for our decarbonisation project sets down a marker that we're delivering on this pledge and our ambition for the council's operations to be carbon neutral by 2030.

"This project is an essential, short-term spend but will result in long-term net savings, both financially and environmentally for the council and our residents."

Works have largely centred around air source heat pumps and solar panels. When combined these measures are projected to save the council £190,000 in annual energy bills, 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year and the generation of 17 kilowatts of power.

Hillingdon Council says it is leading the way in carbon reduction by installing a range of heat pumps. These also include Supanova heat pumps which are some of the largest in the country and comparable in size to a shipping container.

The Supanova pumps have been installed at Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex, Uxbridge.

At the listed Civic Centre, a total of 30 air source heat pumps are being installed to replace the four main gas-powered boilers, enhancing temperature control efficiency throughout the 1970s traditional-style building.

As well as work at the Civic Centre, the council is also installing new decarbonisation technologies at other venues thanks to funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

At Highgrove Pool and Fitness Centre in Ruislip, additional improvements include secondary glazing, cavity wall insulation, improved ventilation, and LED lighting.

The Winston Churchill Theatre in Ruislip, which has had solar panels on the roof and three air source heat pumps is now running at net zero carbon.

And Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex has also benefitted from new technologies including two Supanova air source heat pumps, solar PVs, upgrades to radiators, a new DNO substation and new roof covering.

Sport England is also part-funding a project at Botwell Green Leisure Centre in Hayes to reduce carbon emissions. The project involves adding better roof insulation and installing solar panels, with completion expected by December.

The council has contributed £5 million towards the project with a further £7 million funded through developers' carbon credit contributions.