North Yorkshire homes facing fuel poverty to benefit from £8.3m heating upgrades

A consortium led by North Yorkshire County Council with Scarborough Borough Council, Ryedale District Council and Hambleton District Council has secured more than £8.3m from the Government’s Sustainable Warmth fund to carry out the improvements.

The funding will provide upgrades to low-income households to tackle fuel poverty and contribute towards net zero carbon targets.

It will help some of the least efficient homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy.

The upgrades aim to create warmer homes at lower cost and will support low-income families with the switch to low-carbon heating, ensuring households facing fuel poverty are not left behind in the move to net zero carbon.

The funding will be split between households heated by mains gas and those off the gas grid.

For the former, measures will include solar panels, hybrid air source heat pumps, loft insulation, underfloor insulation and external wall insulation.

Similar improvements will be provided for the latter, plus measures such as high-retention storage heaters and air source heat pumps.

Homes will be selected based on need across the three districts.

County Cllr Andrew Lee, Executive Member for Public Health, said: “Living in a cold home can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, with an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, poor mental health and falls.

"So we are delighted that working with Hambleton, Scarborough and Ryedale councils we have been successful in our bid for funding that will help us with our ambitions to reduce fuel poverty, while supporting households to improve energy efficiency and switch to low-carbon heating.

“This funding will enable us to focus on the off-gas areas across North Yorkshire where we have the highest levels of fuel poverty and the least energy efficient homes that are mostly heated by oil or electric heaters.

"It will also enhance our existing programmes to improve health by providing upgrades to people living in cold homes.”

Phillip Spurr, Programme Director for Place and Resources at Ryedale District Council, said the successful bid was fantastic news.

“In a rural district like Ryedale, we have homes off the gas grid which are often costly to heat, and not energy efficient.

"The upgrades will help to make them easier to heat at a lower cost, which is brilliant.”

“This latest funding, which follows our recent collaboration on the Green Homes Grant scheme, allows us to help even more households in need make their homes warmer, more affordable and energy efficient, and kinder to the planet.”

The consortium expects to appoint a provider to deliver the upgrades by April.

Details of how households can apply for the scheme will be available at that time.

All measures must be completed by 31 March 2023.

Anyone who is worried about heating their home or cannot afford their energy bills can seek advice from Warm and Well in North Yorkshire.

The service can also offer advice on switching energy supplier, fuel debt and energy efficiency measures.

Contact Warm and Well on 01609 767555, email [email protected] or visit the website.

People in Scarborough and Ryedale can also find out about the Home Improvement Agency’s collective switch scheme.