Funding awarded to improve energy efficiency in Wealden homes

More than £1million pounds has been awarded to Wealden District Council to make energy efficiency improvements to homes owned by the council.

The Warm Homes Wave 3 funding is an initiative to provide energy performance upgrades primarily to social housing.

The project spans for three years and will enable Wealden council to make improvements to 116 of its homes which have an EPC rating of D or below. The council will be concentrating on installing solar PV systems alongside any required additional loft and cavity wall insulation top ups.

The initiative specifically targets tenants living in social housing, ensuring that thousands of families across the country receive essential energy performance and clean heating upgrades.

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits and Revenues, said, “I welcome this additional funding from the government, which we are matching with a further £1m from our own housing budget. This comes on top of a £3m, two-year project we are already delivering to improve the environmental quality of 100 of our leakiest and least energy efficient homes.

"Investing in home insulation, solar panels, and air source heat pumps is not just a step towards a greener planet, but part of our commitment to delivering warmer homes and cheaper bills for our residents. We know that the climate and cost of living crises are inextricably linked, and we are determined to do as much as we can to help."

In April 2024 Wealden District Council received £1.5 million in match-funding as part of a project to retrofit 100 off gas network properties with an EPC rating below C through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund wave 2.2 .