Works to enhance the physical standards and energy efficiency of more than 600 social homes in Solihull to improve the comfort, health and well-being of residents and lower fuel bills have completed as part of a £2.1 million project.
The project was made possible after Solihull Council was successful in securing Government funding through the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Social Housing Decency Fund.
Around £1.9m was distributed to Solihull Community Housing (SCH) to fund various schemes to 592 properties across the borough including external wall insulation, new heating, new windows, loft insulation, and solar panels.
This included improving the physical decency of 473 properties across the whole of the borough; external wall insulation at 28 homes across Smith’s Wood and Marston Green to help improve energy efficiency and lower heating bills; and replacement windows on 48 low-rise flats in Kingshurst to improve comfort and energy efficiency.
Remaining funding was allocated to Citizen Housing and Solihull Care Housing Association to support projects relating to ventilation, window replacement, and Switchee home monitoring technology.
Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Mark Parker, said:
“We know poorly insulated homes pose a significant problem to the environment, our health and wellbeing, and our wallets as they allow heat to easily leak out and cost us more to keep them warm.
“Collectively, buildings in Solihull produce more emissions each year than any other source and improving the energy efficiency of our homes is key to transforming our housing stock, reducing our emissions, and tackling climate change together.
“The package of measures rolled out through this project will help towards addressing those issues and will make a tangible difference to improve the standard of social housing for people in the borough, delivering warm, energy efficient homes and lowering fuel bills.”
Andy Duke, Head of Asset Management and Development (Interim) at SCH, who run the housing service on behalf of the Council, said:
“We welcome this important investment in our homes. We want all our customers to feel safe and warm and this money has enabled us to carry out some key work that will ensure these homes meet the high standards our customers expect.
“We are working hard to make our homes as energy efficient as possible to help our customers save money on their energy bills, and this investment through the Social Housing Decency Fund helps with this programme of work.”
Information on how to make your home more energy efficient is available on the Council’s climate change and sustainability website Your Future Solihull, while you can also sign up to regular updates from the Your Future Solihull newsletter.
