Proposals to make energy efficiency improvements to a further 370 social homes have been given green light by the Nottingham City Council. The local authority has agreed to plans at its Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, June 20.
More than £2.9m of grant funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1 has been secured following a successful consortium bid, led by the Midlands Net Zero Hub. Through the collaborative bid, over £47m of retrofit funding has been brought into the Midlands region from the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
SHDF Wave 2.1 will see Nottingham City Council install a range of measures to the selected homes including cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation, loft insulation, draughtproofing and heating controls. The upgrades will be made to around 370 homes with low energy performance certificates which are the most challenging for tenants to keep warm, the Nottingham City Council said.
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These improvements aim to help residents feel more comfortable in their homes – keeping them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The city council said the scheme will also bring additional benefits to the social housing tenants, including reducing energy bills, improving health outcomes, and building pride in neighbourhoods.
This is the second iteration of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, following an earlier project which has seen improvements in the energy efficiency of homes in the city through the Greener HousiNG scheme. Between 2019 and 2022, 1,036 homes were improved to reduce their energy usage, the city council said.
These projects support Nottingham’s ambition to be the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028 and the City Council’s aim to eliminate fuel poverty. Councillor Corall Jenkins, 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.”
Councillor Jay Hayes, Portfolio Holder for Housing, 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.”
Wayne Bexton, Director for Environment and Sustainability, said: ‘’This latest funding allocation will enable us to improve over 300 homes as part of our Greener HousiNG Programme. I’m delighted that Nottingham is leading the way nationally on retrofitting properties, and this work won’t only reduce carbon emissions but will also benefit the health of the occupants and of course lower bills.’’
