New support to help West Yorkshire households and businesses cut energy bills

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has today (15 September) launched new support to help homeowners and businesses reduce their energy bills by investing in home upgrade measures.

The second round of the Mayor’s group-buying scheme will empower residents to come together to buy and install energy saving improvements such as solar panels, battery storage systems and electric vehicle charging points at a lower price by buying in bulk.

Following the successful pilot in 2024, the scheme has already helped over 600 households across the region, with some residents earning up to £13 a day by selling unused electricity back to the grid.

The programme forms part of Home Energy West Yorkshire, a one-stop shop for advice and support for homeowners, renters and landlords across Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

It is also part of the Mayor’s wider efforts to tackle fuel poverty across West Yorkshire – a region which has some of the oldest and coldest homes in the country. Mayor Brabin has committed to long-term investment to improve the quality of existing homes to ensure every home is safe, secure and fit for the future.

The announcement comes as the Mayor and Selvin Brown, a senior official from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, visited homes in Armley, Leeds, to see first-hand the work being delivered by the Combined Authority, Leeds City Council and sustainable regeneration expert Equans, helping make the region’s private and social homes warmer, more comfortable, and cheaper to heat.

Before the renovation works, residents struggled to heat their homes for long periods due to the age of their properties. Since having multiple measures fitted – including new insulation, roofs, windows and doors – their homes heat up quicker, stay warmer for longer, and cost less money to heat, even in the winter.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire said: said:

"I’m committed to everyone having a warm, safe, and secure place to call home. That’s why we're making it easier for people to access support to improve their home.

“This is vital, practical action that will help households reduce their energy bills, keeping more money in their pocket.

"Home Energy West Yorkshire is helping us deliver warmer, better quality homes that are fit for the future."

Households who improved their homes in the first round of the group buying scheme have since spoken out about how the work has helped to transform their homes.

Will from Huddersfield said he has seen his electricity bills reduce to zero after having solar panels and battery storage installed. When he first moved into his home, he struggled during the winter because it was difficult to keep the property warm.

Will said:

“Our first winter here was quite cold, we realised we needed to do something to improve the thermal efficiency of the house and also improve the energy efficiency of the house.

"We now run on the batteries and solar all year, even during winter. On an average day during the winter, we don't need to top up our batteries, and even on a cloudy day, the solar panels work.

"It’s basically reduced our electricity bills down to zero. We make more money from the solar and batteries than we actually spend on electricity now. Over the last few weeks where we've had a hot sunny day, we've been making about £6 sometimes a day. It's worked really well for us.”

Craig, from Bradford, said following the work on his home over the summer, his household were earning up to £13 a day selling excess electricity back to the grid. He was delighted with the work, which was finished in a day and half, despite originally being told it would take three days to complete.

He said:

"Even in the winter time we're still producing enough solar to see us through the day. The solar panels power your house first and if your house doesn’t need all of it, it charges your battery. If your battery is full, it then goes to the grid. On a sunny day like this, you're getting back £13 a day in free electricity.”

Laura from Leeds added that installing solar panels on her home has helped her worry less about heating up her home during the winter.

She said:

“The money we’re getting back is covering much of our electricity costs - even with the electric car. There’s a lot less worry coming up to winter about the cost of things, there’s that relief knowing we’ve got the solar panels providing energy. If you’ve got the chance to get them, there’s no going back.”

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has partnered with independent experts Switch Together to deliver the scheme which runs from 15 September to 2 October 2026.

People can now also get in-person support at Bradford Interchange, where a Home Energy West Yorkshire pop up service is open every Wednesday and Thursday until 12 November 2026. People will be able to speak with expert advisors offering impartial and free advice to help them save money and improve their home.

A spokesperson for Switch Together said:

"We are delighted to be launching a new round of the solar group buying scheme with West Yorkshire Combined Authority. We are looking forward to building on the success of the previous scheme by providing even more West Yorkshire homeowners and businesses the opportunity to install a quality PV system for a competitive price from a vetted installer."

Martin McCluskey, Minister for Local Energy and Jobs said:

"We are working hand-in-hand with combined authorities and mayors to bring the benefits of clean technology, like solar and heat pumps, to entire streets and families.

“Schemes like this one in West Yorkshire show devolution working as it should. We want to replicate this across the country so as many people as possible benefit from warmer homes and lower bills"

Councillor James Gibson, Leeds City Council's executive member for environment, said: 

"We're working to reduce carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty and ensure residents can live in warmer, healthier homes. The scheme in Armley is a great example of how partnership working can deliver real benefits for residents.

"By improving around 100 homes in Armley, we're helping people stay warmer, reduce their energy bills and creating a model for how retrofitting can work for Leeds housing. It means lower energy costs for residents, warmer and healthier homes for families and a cleaner, greener future for our city."

Steve Batty, Director of Sustainability at Equans, said:

“It's important that different sectors collaborate to improve the efficiency and affordability of the region's existing homes. By working together, we can help to make households across West Yorkshire more comfortable and free from fuel poverty, whilst in turn lowering carbon emissions and creating healthier communities.

"The Armley scheme is a great example of working in partnership with the local authority and combined authority to deliver energy efficiency upgrades across an area, resulting in significant fuel bill savings for residents of both social and private households.”