Jobs created through investment in net zero schemes
Twenty-six skilled jobs have been created in a key green industry as a result of Leeds City Council’s investment in low carbon upgrades earlier this year.
Energy and water services company Cenergist has recruited 13 full-time employees and moved 13 existing staff to a newly opened office in South Leeds to work on two major council decarbonisation programmes.
Labourers, project managers, quantity surveyors and tenant liaison officers have all been hired by the company to help ensure the successful installation of low carbon heat pumps in multi-storey council housing, leisure centres, schools and homes for older people across the city.
Heat pumps use electricity to provide greener, cleaner and more reliable warmth and hot water. They are expected to become much more common and cheaper to install as the UK replaces fossil-fuel powered boilers with low carbon heating.
Around half of Leeds’ carbon emissions are estimated to come from the energy used to power and heat our homes and commercial buildings.
Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, said: “As I prepare to attend COP26 in Glasgow, I am proud to represent a city and council already doing so much to become carbon neutral.
“Taking bold steps to cut our emissions is not only the best thing we can do to protect ourselves and others from a changing climate but it is also the best strategy for Leeds to prosper from the economic opportunities of a greener world.
“When we invest in local low carbon projects, we help businesses like Cenergist to invest in and upskill local workers.”
The new roles will contribute to West Yorkshire targets for businesses to create 1,000 skilled jobs in the green economy.
Nationally, the UK Government has shared an ambition to more than quadruple the number of adults employed in skilled green jobs by 2030.
Alex Brown, operations director at Cenergist, said: “We have created new roles in the green economy including engineers, project managers and construction professionals.
“We are utilising local trades and merchants to create further jobs and apprenticeships wherever possible in the city.
“In addition, we envisage the creation of further labouring jobs which will be pro-actively promoted to the local community.
“We ensure all suppliers and subcontractors pay at least the real living wage for their staff. The opening of our office demonstrates our commitment to working with Leeds City Council to support it in delivering its ambitious decarbonisation plans for the city.”
