In Support of Cheltenham Borough Council’s (CBC) ambition to be net zero by 2030, Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) has been awarded £2m worth of funding through the consortium bid, led by Stroud District Council, to improve the energy efficiency of an additional 187 homes.
This follows on from the success of the previous wave (Wave 1) of funding through the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), which provided an £800,000 investment in 59 homes with an EPC rating of D or below.
Previously administered through the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), now known as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), this investment will see more customers reap the rewards of a warm home with low carbon emissions and a reduction in their energy bills.
Councillor Alisha Lewis, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Cheltenham Borough Council said:
“With rising energy costs putting a strain on households and making it harder to heat homes, this investment in our communities is vital. This decarbonisation project will help us reduce the consumption of energy and carbon emissions, which protects our planet and our residents against the harsh impact of rising energy prices.
Transforming homes so that they are fit for the future is an incredibly important part of our journey to Net Zero. This will also support the local economy, providing more jobs within the trades sector, so together we can all do our bit to look after our environment.”
Steve Slater, Chief Executive of Cheltenham Borough Homes said:
“Following the success of the works that we are carrying out as part of the SHDF Wave 1 of funding, it’s wonderful to see the difference this is making to the lives of our customers and their families, helping them reduce their carbon impact and energy bills.
Rising costs is a very real challenge that many of us are having to face at the moment, this is why we’re delighted to have been given another opportunity to continue this great work, which is not only looking after the health and wellbeing of our customers and bringing down costs but is also meeting our environmental aims to be more green, to support CBC’s ambition of being net zero by 2030.”
The previous Wave 1 project by BEIS, is helping CBH to get a better idea of what can be achieved through retrofitting, and to explore the best options to improve the performance of the remaining 4,500 homes it manages.
As a trusted partner of CBC, CBH is developing a Carbon Reduction plan which will include measures for improving the energy performance of the existing housing portfolio, taking account of budget requirements to help meet the challenging target set by the council to be net carbon zero by 2030.
CBH will soon provide the council’s first 9 new build affordable net zero carbon homes as part of a Section 106 agreement at Kidnappers Lane, Cheltenham. There will be a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bed homes for rent and shared ownership – all part of CBC’s £180m investment in quality homes and thriving communities.
Building works are anticipated to commence on site in the Autumn to convert a former brownfield site at Swindon Road to provide 24 high quality, low carbon, affordable homes. The new homes will include solar panels, external communal gardens promoting biodiversity, making room available for hedgehog highways, bat, bee, and bird boxes to allow wildlife to flourish.
View a full list of those who received the SHDF Wave 2 fund: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-wave-21-successful-bids/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-wave-21-successful-bids
Background:
The SHDF is a £3.8bn Government commitment over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of socially rented homes.
Thanks to £17.4m of Government funding 532 social homes, which currently have the lowest energy performance across Gloucestershire will be made warmer, benefitting from the reduction in carbon emissions through improvements.
This follows on from the success of the previous wave (Wave 1) of funding through the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), which provided an £800,000 investment in 59 homes with an EPC rating of D or below.
Previously administered through the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), now known as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), this investment will see more customers reap the rewards of a warm home with low carbon emissions and a reduction in their energy bills.
Councillor Alisha Lewis, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Cheltenham Borough Council said:
“With rising energy costs putting a strain on households and making it harder to heat homes, this investment in our communities is vital. This decarbonisation project will help us reduce the consumption of energy and carbon emissions, which protects our planet and our residents against the harsh impact of rising energy prices.
Transforming homes so that they are fit for the future is an incredibly important part of our journey to Net Zero. This will also support the local economy, providing more jobs within the trades sector, so together we can all do our bit to look after our environment.”
Steve Slater, Chief Executive of Cheltenham Borough Homes said:
“Following the success of the works that we are carrying out as part of the SHDF Wave 1 of funding, it’s wonderful to see the difference this is making to the lives of our customers and their families, helping them reduce their carbon impact and energy bills.
Rising costs is a very real challenge that many of us are having to face at the moment, this is why we’re delighted to have been given another opportunity to continue this great work, which is not only looking after the health and wellbeing of our customers and bringing down costs but is also meeting our environmental aims to be more green, to support CBC’s ambition of being net zero by 2030.”
The previous Wave 1 project by BEIS, is helping CBH to get a better idea of what can be achieved through retrofitting, and to explore the best options to improve the performance of the remaining 4,500 homes it manages.
As a trusted partner of CBC, CBH is developing a Carbon Reduction plan which will include measures for improving the energy performance of the existing housing portfolio, taking account of budget requirements to help meet the challenging target set by the council to be net carbon zero by 2030.
CBH will soon provide the council’s first 9 new build affordable net zero carbon homes as part of a Section 106 agreement at Kidnappers Lane, Cheltenham. There will be a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bed homes for rent and shared ownership – all part of CBC’s £180m investment in quality homes and thriving communities.
Building works are anticipated to commence on site in the Autumn to convert a former brownfield site at Swindon Road to provide 24 high quality, low carbon, affordable homes. The new homes will include solar panels, external communal gardens promoting biodiversity, making room available for hedgehog highways, bat, bee, and bird boxes to allow wildlife to flourish.
View a full list of those who received the SHDF Wave 2 fund: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-wave-21-successful-bids/social-housing-decarbonisation-fund-wave-21-successful-bids
Background:
The SHDF is a £3.8bn Government commitment over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of socially rented homes.
Thanks to £17.4m of Government funding 532 social homes, which currently have the lowest energy performance across Gloucestershire will be made warmer, benefitting from the reduction in carbon emissions through improvements.
Contact the press office on communications@cheltenham.gov.uk | 0800 408 0000