We have been successful in securing £2m of government funding to improve the energy performance of our homes under the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
According to the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto, the SHDF will be worth a total of £3.8bn over a decade.
This week the government named the 69 local authorities who have made successful bids for some of the £179m made available in the SHDF wave 1 funding.
LiveWest was delighted that both bids we were part of were successful – one with Plymouth City Council (who were awarded £1m of which LiveWest will benefit from over £600k of funding) and one with the South West Energy hub hosted by the West of England Combined Authority (who were awarded £4.7m of which LiveWest will benefit from over £1.3m).
LiveWest’s allocation of nearly £2m is the largest allocation to any social landlord in the region.
Our Green Funding Manager, Tim Wotton, said: “Sustainable homes, neighbourhoods and communities are at the heart of our commitment to deliver a home for everyone.
“Our principal focus is around increasing the energy efficiency of our homes, reducing our carbon footprint and improving our customers’ lives.
“This funding is so important as it will make a difference to the energy performance of our customers’ homes, and we hope that despite rising prices customers will see the benefits in their fuel bills.
“We hope that through this government funding, matched by our own investment and other funding we may be able to unlock, we will not only ensure these benefiting scheme continue to provide vital social housing for decades to come, it will also act as a demonstrator of what can be done to help us prepare for Carbon Zero.”
In Plymouth the money will be spent on our first phase of upgrading our social housing scheme at Furse Park in Barne Barton.
Furse Park is a popular development but while its elevated position gives amazing views over Devonport Dockyard and Plymouth, it also means the properties are subject to some of the harshest weather conditions. This funding will help to improve 59 properties in our first phase of work at Furse Park, including improving wall insulation, windows and roofs.
Not only will this deliver warm, energy efficient homes, reduce carbon emissions of our customers, help in tackling fuel poverty and support green jobs, it will also safeguard this important social housing for future generations and we hope may lead to other opportunities such as linking up to planned district heating networks from the nearby waste to power site.
Councillor Vivien Pengelly, Cabinet member for Homes and Communities at Plymouth City Council, said: “This announcement could not come at a better time. With all the worry about high fuel bills, it’s good to know that some of the city’s most vulnerable households will get the help they need to keep warm while keeping the costs down.
“It is also good news from our green agenda perspective. This will help deliver carbon savings as well as support local jobs on the growing green economy.”
Through the West of England Combined Authority bid we are going to be able to target nearly 150 properties across the South West, undertaking a range of improvements to some of the most challenging of our properties, including insulation and the use of new technologies.
Dan Norris, West of England Metro Mayor, said: “There is a cost of living crisis and a climate emergency. People are forking out more and more on gas, electric and oil.
“I’m pleased to win this funding to help reduce energy bills for 56 local families by investing to make homes greener and more energy efficient. Choosing between heating and eating is a real choice people are making right now. It shouldn’t have to be this way. Everyone deserves a warm and safe place to call home.”
This funding is supporting our ambitious Cby28 programme to bring 9,000 of its worst performing properties up to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2028, two years ahead of the deadline set by government.
The Cby28 programme will see LiveWest investing approximately £40m into its existing housing and underlines the commitment of LiveWest to reduce its carbon footprint and improve the energy efficiency of our homes.
While we are delighted by the award, this is only the start of our programme and with the government allocating £800m to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, we are also looking forward to how we might be able to unlock even more funding to benefit our customers through Wave 2 of the funding.
Not only will this deliver warm, energy efficient homes, reduce carbon emissions of our customers, help in tackling fuel poverty and support green jobs, it will also safeguard this important social housing for future generations and we hope may lead to other opportunities such as linking up to planned district heating networks from the nearby waste to power site.