On March 18, 2024, the Secretary of State for Energy Efficiency announced an exciting new development in the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – £75 million is being spent on providing free energy efficiency upgrades for over 8,000 homes across the UK.
The money will be allocated to 42 councils and housing associations across the country which will be able to use it to install measures (such as insulation, double glazing and heat pumps) in the homes that truly need it. Also, this new wave of funding has been opened up to more people than it was before. Thanks to this expansion, the SHDF is now available to many social housing landlords for the first time.
The very lowest-income houses are expected to benefit the most from this grant, lifting the tenants out of fuel poverty. In fact, it is estimated that this new funding could save tenants an average of £400 a year on their fuel bills. Of course, this will go a long way to reduce fuel poverty and improve the quality of life for thousands of people across the country.
What Is The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund?
The government created the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) in 2019 to make social housing more environmentally friendly. £3.8 billion was allocated to be used over 10 years in different stages. This money helps pay for things like installing ground source heat pumps to fight fuel poverty, cut emissions, and make homes more energy efficient.
The SHDF has already spent £1 billion on many different projects since 2019. One example of this is Durham County Council. They received over £5 million which they used to upgrade over 1,300 homes in their district.
You can find a full list of the approved projects under the new wave (Wave 2.2) of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund here.
What Does This Mean For The Energy Industry In The UK?
Yet again, the recent wave of the SHDF is another example of a government scheme boosting the retrofit industry in the UK. All of these 8,000 projects will require qualified retrofit professionals to carry out the work at each stage. This new wave of funding alone will support 1,300 retrofit jobs in the UK! It shows us that the country is serious about energy, which makes it an exciting industry to be in right now for any energy professional, particularly those involved in retrofit.
If you are thinking about a career in energy, please consider training with Energy Trust. We would love to start you off on your journey as an energy professional. Over the past decade, we have trained thousands of individuals who have gone on to enjoy varied and exciting careers in the UK’s energy industry. Some of our courses cater for those who are just starting out, but we also have options if you are looking to upskill to make the most of these growing opportunities. You can browse our courses online, or call us at 0333 012 0002 for more information.
