Government announces £1.8billion to boost energy efficiency and cut emissions of homes and public buildings across England
Under this funding announcement, The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant are collectively worth £1.4 billion, and will be used to fund energy-saving measures ranging from loft insulation to new windows. The government says an additional £1.1 billion in match funding for social housing provided by local authorities, providers of social housing and charities will bring the total investment to £2.5 billion to upgrade social and private homes in England.
On top of this, a further £409 million has been granted through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help public sector buildings such as schools and hospitals drive down their carbon emissions. Upgraded heating systems, powered by cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy, will the government say reduce the use of fossil fuels exposed to volatile global energy prices – supporting thousands of jobs and saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds.
Secretary of State Grant Shapps said:
"We know this is a difficult time for families, which is why the government is covered around half a typical household’s energy bill this winter.
"This is a huge investment that will help households save hundreds on energy bills and see them heat their homes for less, and stay warm for longer.
"Not only this but the funding is also a huge boost for job creation and economic growth, opening up new and exciting opportunities across the UK’s ever-expanding green sector."
Local authorities, providers of social housing and charities have been awarded £630 million, to come from Phase 2 of the latest stage of the Home Upgrade Grant, while £778 million will be provided through the most recent wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund across 107 projects. it is anticipated an additional £1.1 billion in match funding will be added to this through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, bringing the total to £2.5 billion to upgrade social and private homes in England.
The funding will be rolled out from April 2023 to upgrade homes over the next two years.
Energy cutting and cost saving measures provided through the schemes include exterior wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, new windows and doors and draft proofing measures, as well as heat pumps and solar panel installation.
The government has also announced today that over £400 million has been allocated to public sector bodies across England to help reduce their carbon emissions. 144 public sector organisations responsible for hospitals, schools, leisure centres, museums and universities will benefit from this support.
This funding is being delivered through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which provides grants to public sector bodies to fund low carbon heating, renewable energy and energy efficiency measures such as heat pumps, solar panels and insulation. The scheme is being delivered on behalf of the government by Salix Finance.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said:
"The UK is truly a world-leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions and the progress we’ve made over the last decade has been remarkable. But we can’t rest on our laurels and must continue to drive forward progress, setting a standard for other countries to follow.
"Reaching net zero means considerable action from the public sector as well as private sector. Through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding allocation announced today, we are empowering public bodies to save the taxpayer hundreds of millions while packing a punch on our ambitious and necessary climate goals."
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