The London Borough of Harrow’s ambitious efforts towards achieving a carbon-neutral future has been recognised with the remarkable feat of winning three prestigious awards in various categories.
In a month filled with success for the housing decarbonisation team, Harrow Council has secured three highly acclaimed awards that highlight their innovative approach to scaling up the retrofit of social housing, leading the way for the council’s progress on the roadmap to net zero.
The accolades began with the Energy Efficiency Awards on July 6, where Harrow was honoured with the “Council of the Year” award. The council’s remarkable achievements continued at the Unlock Net Zero Awards 2023 on June 27, where they secured two significant wins. Firstly, they were crowned “Landlord of the Year” at Europe’s largest housing event, and secondly, project lead Andres Shoman was recognised as the “Climate Champion of the Year” by the judges.
Shoman’s forward-thinking leadership was commended for incorporating Artificial Intelligence Guided Retrofit (AIR) and employing a direct engagement approach with residents.
What sets Harrow Council apart is its pioneering integration of Artificial Intelligence into a UK Housing Decarbonisation program, marking a significant milestone in the social housing sector. This groundbreaking initiative came after Harrow’s successful grant-funded bid for fabric-first measures, promoting the transition to electric-powered homes.
The AI-enabled concept, known as Project-AIR (Artificial Intelligence Guided Retrofit), has proven to be highly efficient in the field of housing decarbonisation, cementing Harrow’s position as a leader in sustainability efforts.
The recognition didn’t stop there, as Harrow Council received further acclaim at the Unlock Net Zero Awards in the “Innovation of the Year – technology” category, where they were highly commended among 149 competing organisations, including industry giants. Additionally, their exceptional implementation of the Green Homes Grant program earned them a well-deserved “Highly Commended” title.
Cllr Mina Parmar, Cabinet Member for Housing, offered her congratulations to the housing teams, “Congratulations to our housing teams for this fantastic achievement. We are always open to new ideas to help us in or plans for a carbon neutral Harrow by 2030 and since starting our decarbonisation programme in 2022, our work has been recognised with seven awards.”
She added, “This is a testament to the to the excellent work put in by officers. This is a well-deserved accolade and I look forward to seeing more innovative projects in Harrow.”
