Council awarded further £2.45 million for energy efficient improvements to 350 social housing properties: £1.5 million grant for private sector homes
A £2.45 million grant has been obtained to enhance the energy efficiency of more social housing properties in St Albans District.
And an additional £1.5 million grant has been awarded for improvements to privately-owned or rented homes with low-income households.
St Albans City and District Council made its third successful application to the Government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing fund for the £2.45 million grant.
It will provide upgrades to 350 Council homes which may include insulation, windows, ventilation and solar panels.
Low carbon heating system replacements will also be included in some properties.
Blocks of flats will be included in the programme for the first time.
The effect will be to reduce harmful carbon emissions while tenants will save money on their energy bills.
The Council’s rolling programme to decarbonise its 4,800 homes began four years ago.
The ambitious project has since gathered pace with the help of the Government grants, totalling £13m to date, as well as funding from the Council’s own ring-fenced housing budget.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Lead for Housing, said:
I am pleased that we have made our third successful bid for a grant from the Warm Homes fund.
It is recognition of the outstanding progress we have made in making Council homes across the District more energy efficient and testament to the housing team who have put together these successful bids to get so much external funding investment into our District’s homes.
As a Council, one of our long-standing priorities is to tackle the climate emergency and reduce our emissions to net zero by 2030 as well as ensure all our tenants have a quality home to live in. This work is one of the many actions we are taking to achieve that goal.
Tenants whose homes will be improved in this third wave will see their energy consumption reduce and, I am pleased to say, they will also save money on their bills.
Warm Homes: Local Grant Fund
The Council has also made its first successful application to the Warm Homes: Local Grant Fund and been awarded funding of £1.5 million.
This will support energy efficiency improvements for low-income householders living in privately owned or rented homes.
The properties will need to have an EPC rating of D to G with the money allocated over the next three years.
Improvements may include insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps.
There will be no cost to eligible households with further details about the scheme to be released later this year.
Photo: two Council properties in Nicholas Close, Batchwood, St Albans, before and after they underwent energy efficient improvements including external wall insulation.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.