Cornwall Council has been awarded funding to retrofit social housing to make them warmer and more energy efficient as part of the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator
The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator (SHDF Demonstrator) will start the decarbonisation of social housing over 2020 to 2021, and support green jobs as part of the COVID-19 economic recovery plan.
This £50 million programme announced in July 2020 will support social landlords to demonstrate innovative approaches to retrofitting social housing at scale. It will mean warmer and more energy efficient homes, a reduction in households’ energy bills, and lower carbon emissions.
Cornwall Council has been awarded funding to retrofit an estimated 75 homes, creating decarbonised neighbourhoods. It will install external wall insulation and replace oil and gas heating with new air-source heat pumps, along with solar panels, to improve energy efficiency, reduce the carbon footprint and keep residents warm through the winter months. It will work with Coastline Housing Ltd. and OVO (S) Energy Solutions Ltd to deliver the project. It is expected to support 42 local jobs.
Welcoming the new was Truro and Falmouth’s Member of Parliament Cherilyn Mackrory, who said:
“This new funding from the Government to help make social housing in Cornwall warmer and more energy efficient is welcome and I hope will be the start of much more investment across Cornwall into making these houses more sustainable for the future.”
“It is also good to see local jobs and our economy being supported as part of the Government’s plans and I look forward to working with my Cornish colleagues to get more investment over the coming years.”