London’s first Carbon Zero fire station unveiled

London’s Walthamstow Fire Station has become the city’s first-ever Carbon Zero fire station, made possible through the adoption of innovative technologies and practices.

Gas boilers and gas-powered water heaters have been removed and replaced by an electric air source heat pump, which provides heating and hot water for the station. It runs on the energy produced by the station’s new solar panels, which have the capacity to produce nearly 50kW of electricity every day.

When solar power isn’t providing enough electricity for the heat pump, the station uses electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources, like wind turbines.

Other energy efficiency upgrades include new lighting systems, HVAC improvements, and insulation enhancements, which optimise energy consumption and reduce waste. The LED lighting helps to reduce energy by as much as 60% compared to conventional lighting systems.

The Building Estates Management System has also been upgraded to help to reduce energy consumption across the whole of the Brigade’s estate.

Meanwhile, effective waste management and recycling practices, coupled with water conservation measures, ensure responsible resource usage and minimise environmental impact. And a green roof provides insulation that mitigates the urban heat island effect, supports biodiversity, and manages stormwater runoff.

The Brigade has also recently been awarded funding of around £1.4 million from the UK government through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to undertake similar work at five more fire stations by the end of 2024.

Paul Cook, LFB’s strategy manager for carbon reduction, said: “We are really proud to have made Walthamstow Fire Station carbon net zero to support the Mayor of London’s net zero 2030 target. The project has not come without its challenges, but crucially, it has proven that we can reduce the Brigade’s dependency on gas.

“We see this as the first step in a long journey and we have another 102 fire stations to move this forward to, which we are planning for now. However, the trial at Walthamstow has enabled the Brigade to develop a comprehensive carbon net zero strategy which, with the funding to replicate these changes across the estate, means we can become carbon net zero by 2030, helping London to become a cleaner and greener city.”