Greener homes and buildings

Energy efficiency in council-owned properties

We are committed to making the social housing we own energy efficiency where possible. From 2021, our new build homes will target the highest EPC level rating of A, and all existing properties will achieve an EPC C as a minimum by 2030 in line with the ‘Cutting the cost of keeping warm - a fuel poverty strategy for England’. Moving all existing properties to EPC C is expected to save 709 tonnes of carbon per year, and has an estimated cost associated with the work required of £8.79m in total. 

To date, the Council has gained £1.8m through the Local Authority Delivery (LAD) Scheme phase 1, which includes 30% match funding from the Council. A further £320k through the LAD3 scheme enabled the installation of 57 energy efficiency improvements in 34 Runnymede households had an estimated energy saving of 40.75 tonnes per year. 

Council-owned homes across Runnymede are due to get a £2.5million energy efficiency boost in a move which is expected to help tenants cut their bills by up to £750 a year. 

A total of 169 homes will benefit from measures such as external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation and installation of solar panels. The improvement works are possible thanks to a £1.25million grant secured by the Council from the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. The Government grant will be matched by £1.28m put aside by the Council from rent income to pay for upgrades and modernisation. 

This grant funding success means we can deliver a substantial programme to improve people’s homes, cut the cost of their bills and reduce the impact of our social housing on the environment all at the same time. In its bid to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Council said that the average saving per household would be £473 a year.The project will take two years to complete, and a contractor for the works will be appointed soon. This is one of several initiatives as we try to update as many properties for tenants whose homes are identified as likely to benefit from improvements. Those tenants will be contacted to make individual arrangements when the work begins.

This links to our Financial Wellbeing Strategy by helping to address fuel poverty; reducing costs associated with achieving ‘adequate’ levels of heat with our homes.

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