25th February 2022
We have secured more than £1 million from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to improve the energy efficiency of 100 of our homes across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The money will be invested in improvements like external wall insulation and loft insulation, as well as new and innovative technologies including shared ground loops and ground source heat pumps – all designed to make homes easier and cheaper to heat for customers.
It is estimated that customers could see an average reduction in their heating bills of £315 per year as a result.
We will be investing a further £1.7m to support the project as it works towards meeting national and regional targets to make its homes more energy efficient.
Our Chief Operating Officer Paul Knight said: “This investment comes at a time when many of our customers are struggling to afford to heat their homes, so anything that we can do to make it easier for them to stay warm is welcomed.
“We are also excited to be able to begin using some of the new technologies that will be essential to us meeting our carbon reduction targets in the future.”
Plus Dane was part of two consortia that were successful in securing funding with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, securing £11.1m to improve around 1,250 homes across the region, while Cheshire East Council will receive £1.6m to improve 162 homes.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Families across our city region are bracing themselves for an incredibly turbulent time ahead, as soaring energy bills continue to threaten those most at risk of fuel poverty.
“Working with local housing associations like Plus Dane, we can ensure that every family has the right to heat their home without breaking the bank, and without impacting the environment too.
“By working with partners across the region, we have invested nearly £55m to improve the energy efficiency of more than 5,000 homes, cutting fuel bills and helping put money back in the pockets of thousands of our most disadvantaged households.”
Councillor Nick Mannion, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, which has responsibilities in relation to social housing in the borough, said: “Improving housing stock is a key part of our ambition to reduce carbon emissions on our road to becoming a net zero borough by 2045.
“Households across the UK are faced with soaring energy bills. Working with our social housing providers, this funding will be targeted at 162 homes with the poorest energy ratings, helping to make them warmer, more comfortable and reducing both the carbon emissions from housing and, just as importantly, fuel bills too.”
