Nottingham City Council has announced that grant funding is being committed to the improvement of social homes around the area, with a focus on decarbonisation.
Through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, more than £2.9 million has been secured to make energy efficiency upgrades to an additional 370 social homes. The allocation has come following a successful consortium bid that was led by the Midlands Net Zero Hub, with the overall collaboration bringing over £47 million of funding into the region for retrofitting. Funding is coming from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Homes with low energy performance certificates, and thus harder for tenants to keep either warm or cool depending on the conditions, will be the focus of the improvements. Further benefits for the tenants include lower energy bills, improved health outcomes, and increased neighbourhood pride.
Councillor Corall Jenkins, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Waste Services and Parks, said:
“It’s fantastic that we have secured more funding to improve social homes in the city. We know that roughly 30% of the city’s carbon dioxide emissions come from heating and powering homes. As we strive to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028, it is vital that we find ways to improve the energy efficiency of our housing stock. Nottingham City Council is leading the way on the retrofit agenda, and this additional funding will allow us to continue this success.”
The funding allocation that has come through the second wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund will continue to build on the success of previous projects, such as the council’s Greener Housing scheme. Through this, 1,036 homes were improved between 2019 and 2022, with energy usage upgrades contributing to the city’s goal of becoming the first carbon neutral city by 2028, as well as the council’s aim of eradicating fuel poverty.
Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Jay Haynes, said:
“Not only do schemes like these help us to decarbonise the city, they are also an important part of our aim to tackle fuel poverty. Energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation and low carbon heating, help tenants to reduce their energy bills by making them easier to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We’ve seen bills at an all-time high due to the cost-of-living crisis, so I’m looking forward to seeing improvements continue to be made to social homes in the city.”
Image credit: iStock
