Environmental Issues - Langholm Close

Langholm Close is a block of flats built in the 1970s in Clapham Park, South London. The refurbishment work carried out by us in 2004 showed that it is possible to refurbish our homes in a way which reduces their environmental impact.

Why use sustainable materials for the refurbishment?

Our homes and buildings are contributing to climate change, because they use a lot of energy. In fact, around half of our energy use in the UK is at home. By reducing our use of energy from fossil fuels, we help to reduce our contribution to climate change. At Langholm Close not only have we made the homes much more energy efficient so they use less energy, but we are harnessing the sun's energy to make electricity. Both of these things help to reduce the building's contribution to climate change.

How we did it

At Langholm Close, we used lots of insulation, in this case made from recycled paper, making the homes warmer and cheaper to run. We also installed solar photovoltaic cells to generate electricity which is totally clean. These cells are stuck down directly onto the roof so you can barely see them. And the wood used in the roof construction is certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

What are the benefits?

Residents of Langholm Close will benefit from this clean electricity whatever the weather, as solar roof panels need only daylight to generate electricity. The roofs will produce around 19 MWh (19,000 units) of electricity a year, enough to light 32 three-bed houses for one year or make 87,000 cups of tea.

Find out more about Langholm

Construction best practice used at Langholm Close

• Sustainable timber
• Recycled insulation
• Solar photovoltaics (PV)