WORK is under way on 68 council-owned houses and flats in South Ealing to be retrofitted, a new energy efficient building insulation method.

The buildings will be wrapped up like a 'tea cosy', in a protective external insulation, powered by roof solar panels and installed with air source heat pumps and ventilation.

The work is part of the council's climate action aim to make the borough greener, with the fitting technique taken from a concept called Energiesprong.

Ealing is the first borough in London to use the Energiesprong technology, first trialled in the UK in Nottingham.

Newly retrofitted homes will have performance guarantees, promising to keep homes at a steady 18-21 degrees all year-round.

According to the government website, retrofitting is the introduction of new materials, products and technologies into an existing building to reduce the energy needed to occupy that building.

It is hoped the approach will cut bills and create jobs, whilst putting the borough at the forefront of the green energy and green homes industries - a key part of the council's post-COVID economic recovery plan.

The council is funding more than half of the retrofit project in South Ealing with an investment of £3.4million, while grant funding has been secured from a variety of sources for the rest.

At least 5,000 council properties, a third of the council's housing stock, have been identified as suitable for the project in the future.