Camden Council showcases UK's first abseiling insulation project

Camden Council today showcased its innovative use of abseiling to insulate high rise homes. 

Camden Council, working in partnership with Avalon Abseiling and Southern Electric, is the first council in the country to use abseilers to access and insulate cavity walls.

This method was developed by Camden Council as a cost-effective and easy way to insulate high rise tower blocks to ensure they are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. 

The launch included a demonstration at Laystall Court, a 10-storey block which is first in the council's insulation programme to use abseiling. 

Camden Council is investing more than £3.7 million pounds in the cavity wall insulation programme over five years, to improve the insulation of tenants’ homes. 

Southern Electric is providing more than £100,000 for the cost of insulating the initial 500 homes, as part of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programme.

Camden will save time and money as there will be no need to put up expensive and unsightly scaffolding to reach higher levels of the high rise homes.  Insulating the homes the abseiling way will be about 40% cheaper as there will be no need to pay for scaffolding. 

The improved insulation will help residents save money and CO2. Cavity wall insulation is a great way to reduce the amount of energy used for heating and could save as much as £80 per year in bills.

The cavity wall insulation by abseiling will be implemented for high rise homes across the borough, and could be adopted by social landlords throughout the country. 

Councillor Chris Naylor, executive member for homes and housing strategy, Camden Council, said: “I am delighted that Camden Council is leading the way in finding innovative and cost effective ways of insulating our homes.

"This will help our tenants and leaseholders keep warm during the winter and cool in the summer, while reducing their carbon footprint.  I know that our residents care deeply about the environment and this innovative scheme is one of the ways we are looking to improve the sustainability of Camden’s homes”. 

Southern Electric’s energy efficiency manager, Stephen Millward, said: “It’s very important that we encourage people to use energy responsibly and reduce subsequent CO2 emissions. Up to 35 per cent of heat is lost through the walls of a property, so insulation results in a big saving on energy bills.

"Equally, we are always looking for new technologies and cost effective ways of achieving these objectives, and this is why we’re partnering Camden Council in this very forward looking project.”