whg reaffirms commitment to energy efficient homes

  • 9th July 2020

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We were delighted to hear the Chancellor’s announcement to invest £50m in projects that will improve the energy efficiency of social housing.

This funding announced by Rishi Sunak yesterday will enable us to extend the work we are already doing to tackle fuel poverty and realise the environmental benefits of efficient homes.

As one of the Midlands’ leading landlords, we believe everyone has the right to live in a warm and comfortable home. Our eco-improvement programme is pioneering and far-reaching, with more than 1,200 whg homes benefiting from eco-refurbishments over the last three years and another 450 programmed over the next two.

Energy saving improvements include external cladding and extra loft insulation to reduce heat loss, as well as new, energy efficient boilers – all of which are designed to save hard-pressed families hundreds of pounds on annual fuel bills.

In 2018/2019, we invested more than £1m in improving the energy efficiency of our homes. Our commitment to tackling fuel poverty resulted in us being named Landlord of the Year in the 2019 Energy Efficiency Awards.

In 2020 we are building on this work, after teaming up with energy efficiency specialists AgilityEco to successfully bid for £2.85m of Warm Homes funding.

We’re using the money to tackle fuel poverty across the wider Walsall community, where most of our homes are located. It will fully fund central heating for 1,000 properties, helping people who struggle with the cost of keeping their home warm.

Rob Gilham, whg’s Corporate Director Business Strategy and Assets, said: “We welcome this announcement from the government. Fuel poverty continues to be a critical issue for this region.

“Having affordable heating makes such a big difference to lifestyle and health, and making homes more energy efficient plays a huge part in achieving that.”

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