Warmer homes for Leeds residents

Published by Claire Tinston for IPB Communications in Housing and also in Communities

Leeds residents are set to benefit from lower energy bills after leading community regeneration specialist Keepmoat was appointed to carry out green improvements to around 180 properties in the city, on behalf of Leeds City Council.

Keepmoat, working in partnership with the council, will install external wall insulation and other eco measures as part of the Government’s Green Deal Demonstrator scheme, in a bid to make homes more energy efficient.

The scheme, which forms part of the wider Green Deal Demonstrator project within the Leeds City Region, will target properties managed by three of the council’s Arms- Length Management Organisations in the Farnley and Wortley, Harehills and Whinmoor areas of Leeds. 

The aim of the £1.3m  scheme, which is supported by around £300k of funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, is to pilot the uptake and success of the Government’s flagship Green Deal energy efficiency scheme.

The works are expected to make homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run, helping residents save up to £750 on their fuel bills every year.

The scheme will also receive funding through ECO (Energy Company Obligation), another Government-backed initiative, aimed at lifting households out of fuel poverty. As a result, residents will receive external wall insulation at no up front cost to themselves.

Councillor Mark Dobson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “Council homes, on average, are already some of the most efficient in Leeds. However, we want to do all we can to ensure that all property types are able to take advantage of the financial and environmental benefits, insulation and other energy saving measures can offer.”

Steve Batty, Keepmoat’s Head of Sustainability, said: “As one of the first companies in the UK to be granted Green Deal Provider status, we are delighted to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council on rolling out the Government’s Green Deal programme, which will make huge strides to improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s existing housing stock, whilst at the same time keeping residents warmer and saving them money on their fuel bills.  

“The scheme will insulate houses which currently have little or no existing external wall insulation, both social and private homeowners can benefit from the scheme at no upfront cost to themselves. There is an interest free loan available to residents who wish to have other energy efficiency measures carried out over and above solid wall insulation, the cost of which will be paid for by the energy savings made from the works.”

The Green Deal is a Government initiative launched last month which it is hoped will pave the way for the biggest home refurbishment scheme since World War 2.

The aim is to make homes and business across the UK more energy efficient, allowing consumers to save money on their energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

Keepmoat was one of the first companies in the UK to become an accredited Green Deal provider and recently also gained installer certification, enabling it to install a wide range of energy saving measures from external wall insulation to gas-fired condensing boilers.

As part of the Leeds scheme, Keepmoat is committed to carrying out in-depth consultations with tenants about any likely disruption that may be caused.

The work comes after a number of enquiries were made by residents and politicians about improving the insulation and thermal efficiency of homes.