New funding to boost energy efficiency measures for York households

To support York residents, £500,000 has been secured from The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub to offer advice for 500 homes for Local Energy Advice Demonstrators (LEAD). In addition, £168,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be used to reduce residents’ cost of living and energy bills over the coming two years.

From 1 October, the energy price cap has reduced from £2,074 to £1,923 a year for a typical household. This good news is tempered by the fact that energy prices are almost double what they were before the cost of living crisis.

The LEAD project will deliver retrofit advice for residents in conservation areas where energy efficiency upgrades must meet certain criteria, and on Travellers’ Site amenity buildings. Access will be arranged for specialist designers or a heat engineer to deliver bespoke advice and surveys to help residents understand and decide on their options.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is supporting a partnership between York Community Energy (YCE) and City of York Council, to roll out extra energy efficiency measures to further support financially-vulnerable residents. YCE will continue to deliver York Energy Advice (YEA). This funding means that YEA will also be able to install some small energy-saving measures in eligible households for free, help them access grants for bigger works, and refer them for other types of support.

Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing from City of York Council, said: “These actions will help make homes more affordable to run while also helping to deliver both our Climate Change Strategy and Retrofit Action Plan.

“It is essential to build a market for home retrofit and meet the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions from homes. In addition, we can join up programmes to tackle fuel poverty through comprehensive, local advice services.”

Tom de Simone from York Community Energy said: “We are delighted to be working with City of York Council and receiving support from the Shared Prosperity Fund to further our existing work. Many people are struggling with their energy bills while their homes are often poorly insulated, cold and damp. At the same time, around a third of York’s carbon emissions comes from the way we heat and power homes.

“Our mission of making homes warmer and healthier to live in by improving their energy efficiency is a win-win for both people and the planet.”