£2.8m grant to improve energy efficiency in Coventry homes

Coventry City Council is set to approve a £2.8m grant to improve the energy efficiency of 150 homes.

The Homes Upgrade Grant will enable the council to retrofit low-income households and those with low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings and no gas central heating within Coventry.

A strategic partner is being sought after, to bring investment, resources and expertise to work alongside the council.

This grant will build on work already underway to improve 2,500 homes in areas including St Michael’s, Binley, Willenhall, Foleshill, Longford and Henley.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said: ”This is an important project which will support our most vulnerable residents – including many who live in flats without mains gas.

“This grant will help us to boost the energy efficiency of homes by changing the windows, improving insulation and upgrading heating systems. This will help to cut carbon emissions, tackle climate change and crucially to help reduce fuel poverty. It’s really important work and I wish we could do more of it. So we will be applying pressure to government to help support this work along with a number of other measures”.

Cllr David Welsh, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “Addressing housing need and ensuring homes are energy efficient is absolutely crucial. As a country we need to more, much more, to ensure that people can afford to heat their homes while ensuring homes are energy efficient. This is always important – but never more so than now, as people are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

“In our city the figures are stark – around one in five homes are fuel poor and many people can’t afford to stay warm in their home, leaving them trapped in fuel poverty. That’s why we will continue to work hard to secure funding like this so we can do more but government needs to prioritise this too.”