Southwark: The Big Switch Off

Southwark's Big Switch Off initiative aims to encourage local residents, schools, businesses and workers in the borough to change their energy use habits for the better.

The borough's climate change strategy commits Southwark to reducing its borough-wide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. The Big Switch Off includes a range of initiatives aimed at helping those who live, learn or work within the borough to lower their energy use and in turn, the amount of carbon emissions they produce.

Southwark is encouraging residents to make small changes to the way they use energy by highlighting the potential to save money and make their home run more efficiently.  Southwark has created an online 'virtual home' to demonstrate the many ways people can undertake easy measures to save energy and money on fuel bills. Across the borough, Southwark calculates that if every household turned their heating down by 1°C, the saving would be £6.8 million across the borough.

Business buy-in

There is also great potential to reduce emissions in non-residential premises. In Southwark, workplaces account for 53 per cent of the borough's carbon emissions.  Part of this campaign includes a dedicated '200 club' which is focused on targeting the borough's top 200 emitters to help them implement plans to reduce their emission levels.

Through the 200 Club, organisations are offered free support to help them reduce their emissions, whether they are just getting started or are looking to make further progress. Support is offered through direct advice and through networking opportunities. Membership of the 200 Club is free and, with its profile on the rise, Southwark will be able to lever in additional resource and support, particularly from third party providers.

Southwark started the initiative in October 2009, carrying out a membership recruitment exercise over the first three months of 2010. Commitment from within the business community was secured via Southwark's three business improvement districts, the Greater London Authority, the NHS trusts governing three local hospitals, tertiary education establishments and other large private sector companies within the borough.

The Big Switch Off campaign will contribute to the borough's wider programme for carbon reduction. The local strategic partnership, Southwark Alliance, agreed under the national performance framework to include a target of reducing emissions by 8.5 per cent by 2012. Southwark has identified that the 200 Club will help to meet 2 per cent savings under that target.

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