The Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East, Jane Stevenson, has welcomed a share of £2.5 billion of funding to boost heating efficiency and cut heating costs in homes across England.
The Conservative Government have announced £1.4 billion in grant funding under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) (£778 million) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) (£630 million).
West Midlands Combined Authority will be provided £17.8 million through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
The funding committed by Government will be matched with around £1.1 billion in funding provided by Social Housing Landlords. This means the overall package will benefit 115,000 low-income households, with average annual bill savings of between £220 to £400 per household.
The schemes form part of the Conservative Government’s commitment to reduce overall UK energy demand by 15 per cent by 2030, as well as supporting the ambition for the UK to move towards greater energy independence.
The Home Upgrade Grant is supporting over 25,000 low-income homes across England by installing energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating. Those being aided are typically the worst quality, off-grid homes most in need of upgrading, with an EPC rating of D to G. Improving these homes comes with the added benefit of supporting 7,000 jobs.
Today’s announcement comes alongside the latest funding of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme update, at around £400 million. This scheme supports public sector bodies to move away from using fossil fuels to generate heat and energy and instead use low carbon technology.
Jane has welcomed the news that the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust will receive £31.4 million thanks to the fund, improving their energy efficiency and cutting their bills.
The Conservative Government will also launch a suite of tools, templates and guidance to support the public sector in decarbonising their sites. This has been produced by, and will be hosted on the website of, Energy Systems Catapult. It includes tools to calculate BAU energy use, procurement templates and clear, accessible guidance.
Commenting, Jane said:
“I'm delighted to see Government funding to help homes with energy-efficiency and this massive funding boost for upgrades at New Cross Hospital. I'll continue pushing for more funding for a variety of projects in Wolverhampton North East.
The money coming to the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is the largest award nationally in this round of funding. I'm grateful to Government for its ongoing support for our local NHS Trust.”
Commenting, Energy Secretary, Grant Shapps said:
“This winter, we have all become acutely aware of our energy bills and how best to keep our homes warm.
In the face of Putin’s war driving up prices, we have already stepped to pay around half of the average household’s energy bills to help get through the winter months.
Today, we are going even further to boost energy efficiency and bring down bills for those who need it the most.”
