Leeds City Council secured over £16m to help residents access green home upgrades

Hundreds more households in the northern city will be able to access affordable green home upgrades after Leeds City Council were awarded £16.8m.

The funding will enable the local authority to kick-start its delivery of the new ‘Net Zero Homes Plan’, which sets out actions the council will take to install low carbon heating and tackle heat loss from Leeds’ residential buildings.

Last week, Senior Councillors approved the document which sets out blueprints for how the council can work with the private sector, community groups, and government to enable every Leeds household to access property improvements that make homes cheaper to live in and sustainable.

Recent studies have shown that British homes are amongst the worst for energy efficiency in Europe, making them harder to keep at a comfortable temperature and more expensive to run.

One in six households in Leeds were classed as living in fuel poverty in 2020, which means they were officially defined as living in a relatively inefficient home and having an income below the poverty line once energy bills were paid for. However, since 2020 inflation levels have hit record highs, forcing energy bills to skyrocket.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Infrastructure and Climate, said: ‘The Net Zero Homes plan is our blueprint to help end Leeds’ contribution to climate change by making our homes better: meaning they are more affordable, healthier, greener, and more comfortable to live in.

‘From Holbeck to Holt Park, high-rise to homeowner, our actions have shown that helping Leeds’ households save money and energy has long been a priority for this council.

‘I am proud that this ambitious new plan goes further and thinks bigger—setting out how the council can work with partners locally, regionally, and nationally to help every household in Leeds enjoy the benefits of living in a climate-friendly home.’

A measure that will be enforced as part of the Net Zero Homes Plan is that a one-stop-hub will be established for council partners to offer homeowners and landlords advice on the benefits of installing sustainable home upgrades. 

Leeds City Council has experience delivering energy efficiency schemes aimed at helping residents on the brink of fuel poverty. In 2022, more than 900 households living in some of Leeds’ oldest builds benefitted from a £9.5m retrofit scheme.

Image: Gary Butterfield