This will be added to the projects the Council has already started to improve the fabric of its Council homes. It will also support other measures being put in place to help the Council achieve its own and the Government’s Net Zero targets.
The money is coming from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. The Fund is designed to upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock across the country, that is currently below Energy Performance Certificate C, up to that standard.
The District Council owns and maintains around 5,600 Council homes in South Cambridgeshire. The new funding will go towards energy efficiency upgrades within these homes.
Energy saving measures such as exterior wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, new windows and doors, draft proofing measures, as well as heat pumps and solar panel installation can be provided with the funding. These measures could save tenants between £220 and £400 a year on energy bills.
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr John Batchelor, said: “We are grateful for this very welcome funding which will directly benefit many tenants, as we continue to make Council homes as green as possible. One of our priorities for several years has been to bring forward housing that is genuinely affordable to live in. A big part of this is ensuring our new and existing Council homes are as energy efficient as they can be, meaning energy bills for tenants are as low as possible.”
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “This investment will help thousands of households to heat their homes for less, keep them warm for longer and could save hundreds on their annual energy bill.
“The green energy sector is growing, and this funding will support green jobs and provide the training needed to deliver these vital upgrades to homes.”
Having successfully doubled the number of new Council homes built in South Cambridgeshire from 35 in 2019/20 to 70 in 2021/22, the target is for at least 75 new energy-efficient Council homes to be delivered every year.
During the next two years, more than £2million had already been allocated to continue work to retrofit the Council’s existing housing stock, as part of ongoing carbon reduction efforts.
Solar panels have already been installed on almost 2,200 South Cambs Council homes to help tenants generate their own electricity. Nearly 870 solid wall homes have been fitted with external wall insulation.
