£2.86m invested into insulation for 300 homes to bring down soaring fuel costs
Three hundred homes are set to be retrofitted with super-efficient insulation and low-carbon heating technology by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The £2.86m investment is part of the WMCA’s plans to tackle climate change alongside helping bring down fuel bills.
Homes in Elmdon, Solihull and Foleshill, Coventry, handpicked by their local councils, are the first two areas to be chosen to receive part of the £19 million Sustainable Warmth Competition funding secured by the Midlands Energy Hub from the government last year.
The homes will undergo a ‘deep retrofit’ using insulation with options for solar panels and low carbon heating systems.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be allocating this first round of funding to homes in Elmdon and Foleshill. Working with our partners in Solihull and Coventry, we’ve identified 300 homes most in need of this work – not just to reduce carbon emissions but help people face the challenges of rising fuel bills.
“Government investment of this kind is absolutely vital if we are going to hit our targets for retrofitting homes, and this neighbourhood approach to both the Sustainable Warmth Competition funding and our Net Zero Neighbourhood demonstrators, working with our local authority partners, will make sure we deliver on the ground.”
The Net Zero Neighbourhood programme looks at how solutions can accelerate the transition to net-zero and have been supported by more than £2m from the WMCA.
As well as retrofitting homes, these demonstrator schemes could also include new pocket parks, playgrounds, communal food growing initiatives, sustainable transport options, and opportunities for social enterprise, at a neighbourhood scale.
Cllr Ian Courts, WMCA portfolio lead for environment, energy and HS2 and leader of Solihull Council, added: “We know that nearly 40% of the region’s carbon emissions come from heating and powering our homes.
“So the news that 150 homes in Solihull, alongside 150 in Coventry, will benefit from energy-saving insulation is to be welcomed, particularly with gas and electric energy costs soaring. Seeing 300 homes becoming more energy efficient is great news, both for the households concerned and the planet.”
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change for Coventry City Council, said: “By taking a place-based approach to deliver this scheme we hope to make a real difference. People can feel distrustful of offers for reduced cost and free energy-saving schemes but what this initiative will test is if we can overcome that with lots of direct and one to one conversations.
“And by focusing on this one area, we’ll be able to engage more of our residents and hopefully create a whole community full of energy-efficient, cost-saving, low carbon houses.”
