Three Rivers District Council has announced that it has secured government funding to support the improvement of homes in the area.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s £778 million Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund will contribute a grant of £2.19 million to Three Rivers District Council. This will allow the council to ensure that residents are able to benefit from living in homes that are warmer, healthier and more energy efficient.
The council previously used investment from the first round of the fund to establish a partnership with local housing association Thrive Homes and begin plans for how funding can be used to benefit residents. The second round of funding will build on this foundation, allowing for a large-scale project of retrofitting that will see a range of energy efficient measures being put in place. These measures include solar panels and work on exterior walls.
The least energy efficient properties in the area are set to benefit from an EPC C rating which would contributed to the council’s goal of mitigating climate change, improving the health and wellbeing of the community, and alleviating fuel poverty; the latter goal would also contribute to the combatting of effects of the cost of living crisis on residents.
Leader of Three Rivers District Council, Councillor Sarah Nelmes, said:
“This funding presents a vital opportunity to tackle fuel poverty and improve the homes of our residents. This investment in energy efficiency upgrades to local homes under the second phase of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund scheme will help residents save money on their energy bills, while making their homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
“Meanwhile, with home energy use accounting for 28.8% of the district’s greenhouse gas emissions, the funding will also help reduce Three Rivers’ contribution to the climate emergency and delivery progress towards making homes net zero ready. It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Jo Barrett, Executive Director of Operations at Thrive Homes, said:
“We are delighted to have secured a second wave of funding as part of the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. This grant enables us to provide additional homes with external wall insulation, making them more energy efficient whilst reducing the impact of rising energy prices for our customers and lowering carbon emissions.”
The project is not only set to improve the energy efficiency of the area, with works allowing the local green economy to grow and support new high-skilled jobs.
