Caxton House

Caxton House Community Centre (CHCC) is an important facility located in Archway, North London, providing vital support to local residents living in the area. Power Up North London has been working with CHCC since 2018 on a range of energy and cost-saving interventions starting with LED lighting in 2018 and moving on to energy advice work and a deeper retrofit of the building.

PUNL approached CHCC in late 2020 about replacing their gas boiler with a heat pump. We  jointly agreed that a “fabric first” approach would be the most effective.   A detailed decarbonisation feasibility report was commissioned to assess the best ways to make CHCC more energy efficient and to reduce its running costs and carbon footprint. 

With capital funding from the London Community Energy Fund (LCEF) and Islington Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy we started by replacing all 43 windows with triple-glazed energy-efficient ones in 2021. This was followed by further funding from the Biffa Award, LCEF and Islington Council’s carbon offset funds to pay for a 50kW Air Source Heat Pump and acoustic unit, plus 5 mechanical ventilation with heat recovery units, to improve air quality and to enhance the efficiency of internal air flows. The project was completed in December 2023.

The combination of all these measures and CHCC’s move to renewable tariffs has brought down their carbon footprint from 44 tonnes a year to just 7 tonnes in 2024.  The heat pump uses more expensive electricity so that running cost savings are limited.  However, the new windows and improved air quality in the building are attracting new hires and helping to support the running of the Centre.PUNL is gathering data and monitoring performance of the heat pump and MVHR systems to ensure that building users are comfortable and that the systems are being used optimally.This project has demonstrated the value of partnership working between PUNL , CHCC and Islington Council. PUNL’s involvement helped to demystify the issues and to bring funders and suppliers to the table to enable the delivery of this important project.