The government’s announcement this week that up to 170,000 homes in England will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades through a £1.8 billion investment in the Warm Homes Plan has been welcomed by Severn Wye’s Energy Services Director Allison Cawley.
‘This is a significant step toward improving the energy efficiency of the country’s housing stock, keeping people warmer and healthier at home and helping them save on bills. Around half of England’s homes still have an EPC rating of D or below, and their occupants are using more energy than they should as a result. There’s a long way to go for the UK to meet its net zero goals and these new funding schemes will enable energy efficiency retrofit to happen at scale which is exactly what’s needed.’
Severn Wye expects to play a key role in delivering energy efficiency schemes funded through the government’s allocation of £1.8 billion to local authorities and social housing providers. The Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund will see low-income households and tenants in social housing benefit from a range of energy efficiency and renewable measures such as insulation, double glazing, solar panels and heat pumps.
‘Severn Wye has a strong track record of designing and delivering large-scale programmes, finding bespoke solutions that make sure the right upgrades are made for each home – always with residents at the heart. We hand-hold through the whole process to make sure people are completely confident in getting the best out of their new measures.’
Final figures from the completion of the Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant programmes confirmed Severn Wye as one of the most successful delivery agents in the West Midlands and South West. The profit-for-purpose experts previously worked with providers including Cheltenham Borough Homes on the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, and achieved minimum EPC B with net-zero carbon energy for 27 flats in Stroud.
This new funding means residents could save hundreds of pounds a year off bills which are being driven ever higher by the UK’s reliance on international gas markets.
The improvements delivered by the funding will contribute to the government’s aims of higher living standards and disposable income for households across the UK – a key part of its Plan for Change.
The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund will deliver up to £1.29 billion of funding to 144 projects across England with the Warm Homes: Local Grant allocating £500 million to 73 projects across 270 local authorities over the next three years.
