Cutting the cost of living for 169 Runnymede households

We're investing £1.28million into the programme, and it has also secured a £1.25million government grant to support the works so that more homes can be included.

In total 169 Council-owned homes have been selected to have works carried out.  They will have a mix of solar panels, external wall, cavity or loft insulation installed. Letters will be sent to tenants very soon and the works are likely to start in December.

Our research for the grant application highlighted that tenants in these homes could save up to £750 and even the average saving would be £473 per year.

Cllr Smith explains the environmental and financial benefits of the works being carried out.

Cllr Mike Smith, Chair of the Council’s Housing Committee said: “We’re doing all we can to ease the continuing cost of living pressures on local people. These works, which will take place this year and into 2025 should make a genuine difference and I really hope people see their bills come down and their homes warm up as a result.

“It’s pleasing that as well as cutting the cost of bills for well over a hundred households, the work we’ve been able to fund will also reduce the impact of our Council-owned homes on the environment and contribute to our target of eventually eliminating CO2 emissions across the Borough.”

We're carrying out these works at the 169 homes because we are the owner and landlord and so we have a responsibility to maintain them. There are also grant schemes available for private homeowners and renters to help reduce costs and improve the energy ratings.

The work is intended to bring the EPC rating on the selected houses up to a C level. This will create warmer, energy efficient homes which are cheaper to heat. The programme will also:

• reduce carbon emissions,
• help tackle fuel poverty,
• support green jobs, and
• improve the comfort, health and wellbeing of Runnymede tenants.

We've appointed a contractor called Bell Group to carry out the works. Letters will be sent to the 169 households in the coming weeks to arrange initial visits.

Dozens of councils and housing associations across England applied to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for funding under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Scheme. The money received by Runnymede is the largest payment to a council in Surrey.

These improvement works and the energy efficiency measures align with the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which has a focus on ensuring residents can live in safe, secure and good quality homes. It also connects with the Council’s Climate Change Strategy which aims to positively influence the environment by embedding climate change avoidance and mitigation in all Council decisions and actions.

All of the works funded by the Council are paid for from rent payments made by tenants over the years. These works are not funded by general Council Tax.