The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has allocated £1.8billion of public funding designed to boost the energy efficiency of homes and public buildings around the country.
More than 115,000 homes across England are to get upgrades to improve their energy efficiency and save residents money on their bills.
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant, collectively worth £1.4billion, will be used to fund energy-saving measures ranging from loft insulation to new windows. An additional £1.1billion in match funding for social housing provided by local authorities, providers of social housing and charities will bring the total investment to £2.5billion to upgrade social and private homes in England.
The money will go towards improvements to vulnerable households and off-gas grid homes with an EPC rating of D or below and could save tenants between £220 and £400 a year on energy bills.
The government says these schemes could also support around 20,000 jobs in the construction and home retrofit sectors.
On top of this, a further £409million has been granted through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help public sector buildings such as schools and hospitals drive down their carbon emissions.
Secretary of State Grant Shapps said: “This is a huge investment that will help households save hundreds on energy bills and see them heat their homes for less, and stay warm for longer.
“Not only this but the funding is also a huge boost for job creation and economic growth, opening up new and exciting opportunities across the UK’s ever-expanding green sector.”
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “Reaching net zero means considerable action from the public sector as well as private sector. Through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding allocation, we are empowering public bodies to save the taxpayer hundreds of millions while packing a punch on our ambitious and necessary climate goals.”
The funding will be rolled out from next month to upgrade homes over the next two years.
Energy cutting and cost saving measures provided through the schemes include exterior wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, new windows and doors and draught-proofing measures, as well as heat pumps and solar panel installation.
The schemes form part of the government’s commitment to reduce overall UK energy demand by 15% by 2030, as well as supporting the ambition for the UK to move towards greater energy independence.
Full regional breakdown for Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1:
· West Midlands: £93.5million
· East Midlands: £74.7million
· London: £131.5million
· North West: £105.3million
· South West: £80.2million
· South East: £128.9million
· East of England: £83.6million
· North East: £29.3million
· Yorkshire & the Humber: £50million
Full regional breakdown for Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2:
· West Midlands: £152.7million
· East Midlands: £3.2million
· London: £12million
· North West: £83.8million
· South West: £77.5million
· South East: £161.2million
· East of England: £23.5million
· North East: £28.5million
· Yorkshire & the Humber: £41.1million
Regional funding breakdown for Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme:
· North East: £7,636,389
· Yorkshire and the Humber: £21,737,561
· North West: £44,555,899
· East Midlands: £18,112,366
· West Midlands: £88,371,731
· East of England: £14,677,719
· South East: £108,324,556
· South West: £33,450,968
· Greater London: £44,280,137
· Across regions: £26,688,898
· Scotland: £1,221,871