Up to 170,000 homes in England will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades as the rollout of the Warm Homes Plan gathers pace, helping more families lower their energy bills and improve their homes.
Government support of £1.8 billion in will be allocated to local authorities and social housing providers, in a new boost which will support them to deliver warmer, more energy efficient homes in local communities across England.
This funding will be targeted towards low-income households and tenants living in social housing, with thousands of families set to receive energy performance and clean heating upgrades in the form of insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.
At a time when many are experiencing high energy bills driven by the UK’s reliance on international gas markets, this funding through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund schemes could now help households save hundreds of pounds a year.
This move will help deliver a milestone of higher living standards in every part of the UK by the end of Parliament by boosting people’s Real Household Disposable Income – a key part of our Plan for Change.
Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: “Living in a warm, comfortable home should not be a luxury. It is a right that has been out of reach for too many people for too long.
“By giving this funding to local authorities and social housing providers we are delivering on our promise to improve the homes of thousands of people across England.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are powering on with our Warm Homes Plan, upgrading cold and draughty homes so they are warmer, cleaner, and cheaper to live in.”
Responding to the announcement, Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), said: "We welcome this investment as another important step towards making homes warmer, healthier, and more affordable to run.
“Social landlords have worked hard to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and this funding will help them to continue that work — supporting retrofit programmes that will reduce fuel poverty, lower carbon emissions, and bring down energy bills for tenants.
“CIH will continue to work with government and our members to support the effective rollout of this funding and advocate for the long-term investment needed to make all homes warmer and safer.”
He added: “The strong demand for this funding highlights how vital energy efficiency investment is for the social housing sector. While this latest allocation will support important retrofit work, we know that many landlords will have bid for more than they have received.
“To maximise the impact of this programme, we encourage the government to build on this commitment and ensure the full £13.2 billion Warm Homes Plan funding is delivered at the forthcoming Spending Review, with a minimum allocation of £5 billion for the social housing sector."
