ENERGY: Leeds’ 89,000 streetlamps now using energy-saving LEDs.
A five-year project to switch all the city’s street lighting to more efficient, less polluting bulbs has now officially completed.
The £22.5 million upgrade is reducing the city’s carbon footprint by around seven thousand tonnes and lowering the council’s energy bill by millions of pounds—helping to save money for vital frontline services.
On a smaller scale, households and building managers in Leeds could also reduce their energy usage and environmental impact by swapping any older style bulbs and light fittings with more efficient ones.
Find out more about energy efficient lighting on the Energy Saving Trust website.
 BUILDINGS: Dozens of new energy efficient council homes being built in Seacroft and Gipton.
Eighty-eight affordable and lower carbon council properties are now under construction on urban land left unused following previous development, with the new homes expected to be ready as soon as next year.
Future tenants of the properties will find them cheaper to power and keep at a comfortable temperature, thanks to green technologies being fitted as part of the build including thick insulation and electric heat pumps.
Property types include a mix of one-bedroom apartments, one-bedroom bungalows, and two-, three-, and four-bedroom houses.
Learn more about the new properties and the council’s housing growth programme.
 NATURE: New park will improve access to food growing and green space.
Community vegetable beds, a free-to-pick fruit orchard, pollinator-friendly wildflowers, and an outdoor gym are all features of a new park now open to the public in the Hyde Park area of the city.
Leeds’ latest park is located on the site of, and named after, a former school and community hub which closed in 2004 and was later demolished.
As well as bringing people together, Royal Park will increase green space, access to nature, and local food growing in a relatively urban part of the city.
Read more about the new community park and learn about its history.
 TRANSPORT: Government funding now available to help schools install vehicle charge point sockets.
State-funded schools and education institutions can now apply for funding from the UK Government to install charge point sockets that will make it possible for staff and visitors to re-power their vehicle on site.
Leeds now has more than 50,000 plug-in vehicles as drivers continue to make the switch to cleaner, greener, and often cheaper-to-run cars and vans every month.
Installing a charge point socket usually cost around £1,500 to £2,500. Schools can now apply for up to 75% off (or £2,500 per socket) the cost of buying and installing up to 40 charge points.
Find out more about school vehicle charge point funding on Gov.uk.
 BUSINESSES: Calculate your company’s carbon footprint to inform climate action.
Organisations in West Yorkshire can use a free calculator tool to better understand their carbon footprint and how it can be reduced. This easy-to-use tool can also help identify ways to reduce energy consumption and save money.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Combined Authority recently launched the tool to help more businesses understand how they can be a part of the region’s mission to end its contribution to climate change. To use the tool, businesses will need to know and input data including energy consumption, fuel use, water consumption, and company travel.
Expert advice and grant funding is also available from the Combined Authority to help eligible businesses who are looking to become more sustainable.
Check out the business carbon calculator online.
BUILDINGS: Funding still available to help households cut heating bills with green measures.
Hundreds of homeowners, renters, and landlords of properties that don't use gas central heating can still get energy-saving improvements installed free of charge (homeowners) or at a major discount (landlords) thanks to UK Government funding secured by Leeds City Council.
Residents are strongly encouraged to check whether they might be eligible to ensure that they don’t miss out on receiving upgrades before the funding secured for Leeds homes runs out.
Climate-friendly upgrades that will be available include different types of insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, and electric radiators.
Tackling heat loss by installing efficiency measures and low carbon heating can improve existing buildings by making them easier and cheaper to keep at a comfortable temperature all year round.
Find out whether you qualify for the new scheme or other Home Energy Help on the council’s website.
Climate Emergency Advisory Committee
If you would like to raise an issue, comment, or opportunity as part of a future meeting of Leeds City Council's 'Climate Emergency Advisory Committee' then you can do so as part of its open forum. Advance notice is required.
Please email climate.emergency@leeds.gov.uk and include “Open Forum” in the subject line to be sent further information about how to take part.
The next meeting of the committee will be held in Civic Hall on the 18th March 2024.
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