South Yorkshire to benefit from part of £80 million warmer homes plan

Across Yorkshire and the North East, 5,525 families will benefit from energy efficiency upgrades to make their homes warmer as part of a housing retrofit scheme.

The upgrades will allow families to reduce energy costs amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, as well as drive down CO2 emissions.

A group led by the North East and Yorkshire (NEY) Net Zero Hub secured funding from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to deliver the £80 million project.

The bid was made on behalf of a consortium of councils and local groups including Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield Councils.

£32.4 million was granted by the government while £48.2 million was raised by the group’s partners.

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund aims to raise the energy performance certificate (EPC) of social homes to a minimum of Band C.

Energy efficiency measures will include insulation, draught-proofing, and upgrading heating, solar panels and heat pumps.

Improvements will focus on renewable technologies such as solar panels and air source heat pumps.

Chris Rowell, Chair of the NEY Net Zero Hub and Clean Growth Manager at Tees Valley Combined Authority, said:

“This funding is a fantastic opportunity for us to make a real difference to the lives of people across the North East and Yorkshire. We are delighted to be able to put a plan in place that will improve the energy efficiency of homes, reduce fuel poverty for thousands of families and cut carbon emissions in our region.

“We’re working with both small and large housing providers across a fifth of the country to make sure as many communities as possible have the opportunity to benefit from these upgrades.”

North East and Yorkshire Energy Hub Manager Karen Oliver-Spry added:

“The success of this bid is great news for households in the area and builds on the achievements of the Hub’s LAD2 Green Home Grant scheme delivery in tackling poor energy performance in housing. This successful bid is one of several in the North East and Yorkshire, helped by Hub-funded support.”