Wednesday 12 February 2020

New £3.6m fund to help public sector retrofit homes for a zero carbon London

Local authorities and housing associations are to benefit from a new £3.6 million fund to make homes in London more energy efficient and help reduce carbon emissions and energy bills.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched the Retrofit Accelerator for Homes programme will provide financial support for the public sector to make “urgent” upgrades and improvements such as better insulation, low carbon heat and alternative power sources.

That could include improving the building fabric, i.e. windows, floors and roofs, upgrading the heating system as well as installing renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, where possible.

Recipients of the funding will also benefit from expert advice and guidance on large-scale energy efficiency projects.

According to the Mayor’s Office, transformative retrofitting can help increase the value of homes – ultra-low energy homes retrofitted in Nottingham last year led to a 25% uplift in market value to £100,000 after the works,

London’s 3.5 million homes are responsible for around one third of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The latest funding is part of a £34 million package to help London become carbon neutral by 2030.

Mr Khan said: “We are in the midst of a climate emergency which poses a threat to our planet and we can no longer delay the urgent action that is needed to address it. London’s ageing and energy inefficient homes are responsible for around one third of the capital’s greenhouse gas emissions and urgently need to be refitted.

“I’ve pledged for London to be carbon neutral by 2030 if re-elected. It is an ambition which requires forward-thinking local authorities and housing associations to commit to this dynamic new movement to transform social housing and take a significant step towards London meeting its zero carbon targets and help tackle fuel poverty.”