Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes have secured over £2.8m of Government funding to retrofit council homes in the city. The grants will see 298 homes improved to make them more energy efficient and help residents reduce their energy bills.

The grants have been secured through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and works will begin this Autumn. The works include insulation that will not only keep homes warmer in winter, but will also help make them cooler in the summer months.

This scheme contributes to the larger Greener HousiNG campaign in the city which has made over 13,000 improvements to both social and privately owned homes since 2012 and contributes towards Nottingham’s ambition to be a carbon neutral city by 2028.

The funding was secured as part of a consortium bid led by the Midlands Net Zero Hub which was awarded nearly £15m to make improvements to homes across the Midlands region.

Councillor Sally Longford, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Waste, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve secured significant funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy efficiency of homes in the city. Houses that are expensive to keep warm can receive improvements through schemes like SHDF, which is vital for tackling fuel poverty in Nottingham.

“Due to the energy crisis, many people in the city will be struggling to pay their bills, so it’s really important to act now. Not only will installing measures like external wall insulation save tenants money, but it will also improve health and wellbeing and lower their carbon footprints at the same time.”

Wayne Bexton, Director of Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability at Nottingham City Council, said: “This successful funding bid comes at a crucial time and will ensure properties are more energy efficient, with a range of technologies being delivered from insulation to solar panels. Crucially it will save money for tenants, contribute to our carbon neutral aspirations and ensure properties can regulate temperatures more effectively.”

Keith Butler, Nottingham City Homes’ Head of Sustainable Energy, said: “This funding will allow us to further grow our award-winning programme to retrofit social homes in Nottingham and make them greener while also reducing energy bills for residents.”