Council tenants across Runnymede will have their homes upgraded with solar panels and cost-saving insulation as part of a new Council improvements programme.
Runnymede Borough Council is investing more than £1million into the programme and has provisionally secured an additional £1.3million from the Government’s Warm Homes Fund.
A combination of external wall, cavity insulation or solar panels will be installed on the homes, with the work being carried out later this year. We will also be installing low energy heating in a selected number of homes.
Cllr Mike Smith, Chair of the Council’s Housing Committee, said: “This programme and the grant funding we’ve secured is another practical example of the Council doing what it can to help residents cut their costs, by helping them to reduce their utility bills.
“On top of that, through cutting the amount of energy needed to heat their homes, the programme will help reduce the impact on the environment. In turn that helps the Council to lower its overall emissions from buildings we are responsible for.
“This programme of work will make a real difference to residents, and securing over £1million of Government funding is very welcome as well.”
Houses which could benefit from the funding have already been identified and once the details of the programme are finalised, the Council and its contractors will contact tenants directly to make arrangements for the work to be carried out.
The Council is carrying out these works because it is the owner and landlord of the properties and so has 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, such as that run by the Furbnow scheme on behalf of Surrey County Council.
The programme will help deliver and maintain comfortable, energy efficient homes for local people living in Council-owned housing. This is a key part of the Council’s Housing Asset Management Strategy, whilst reducing our housing stock emissions, contributes towards our 2030 operational Net Zero target and the aims of our Climate Change Strategy.
The Council is already installing similar energy efficiency measures at 169 of the homes it owns, after a separate £1.25million grant application was made to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was approved last year.
Work on that programme began in December 2024 and was also supported by a similar amount from the Council’s own funds, made up of rent payments from tenants over the years.
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