£32 million investment to cut renters’ energy bills and carbon emissions

West Yorkshire’s Mayoral Combined Authority has secured further funding to help improve energy efficiency in more socially rented homes.

22 March 2023

A £32 million scheme will make more than 2,400 socially rented homes in West Yorkshire warmer, cheaper to heat and more sustainable.

A number of energy saving measures such as external wall insulation and double glazing will be installed in homes which are currently rented through housing associations across West Yorkshire to cut bills and carbon emissions.

The Combined Authority has secured £14.7 million from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, with the rest of the funding coming from nine social housing providers based in West Yorkshire.

This is the second investment secured by the Combined Authority from the specialist government fund and will help ease the cost of living crisis and support the region to reach its ambition of being net zero carbon by 2038 at the latest.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Tackling the climate emergency gives us an opportunity to invest in projects which really make a difference to peoples’ lives. It’s vital that we ensure no one is left behind in the transition to a net zero economy and that all communities feel the benefit.

“Improving energy efficiency in homes will not only help our region lower its carbon emissions, but it will also enable people to save money on their ever-increasing bills, tackle fuel poverty and create new skilled jobs.”

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.”

Earlier this year, work finished on the first wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund investment which saw more than 1,700 socially rented homes around West Yorkshire improved, saving money on energy bills and cutting carbon emissions.

You might also be interested in