Wednesday 30 March 2022

Fresh £14.9m funding to boost energy efficiency in homes in the Midlands

The government has awarded funding worth £14.9 million to help improve the energy efficiency of social homes in the Midlands.

A consortium bid, co-ordinated by the Midlands Energy Hub – governed by Nottingham City Council - secured the funding to make energy-saving improvements to 1,570 homes.

The consortium members are taking a “fabric first” approach that will initially see the social houses upgraded with insulation and double glazing.

This approach is said to ensure subsequent measures, such as solar panels and heat pumps, are more effective, with the upgrades estimated to save tenants up to £240 a year on their energy bills.

As part of the consortium bid, Nottingham City Council has secured more than £2.8 million to retrofit 298 social homes, which will include solid wall insulation measures.

It supports the city's target to become carbon-neutral by 2028.

Councillor Sally Longford, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Waste said: “I’m delighted that our Midlands Energy Hub has secured significant funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy efficiency of houses across the region. Homes that are cold and hard to keep warm can receive funding from schemes like this one, and this is important to deliver on our fuel poverty reduction targets.

“Due to the energy crisis, many residents in the region will be struggling to pay their bills so it’s really important to act now. Not only will installing measures like external wall insulation save tenants money but it will also improve health and wellbeing and lower their carbon footprints at the same time.”