The organisation is releasing funds of £685,000 to support the installation of schemes that will improve the energy efficiency of social housing as well as supporting the local supply chain for such services.
Social housing providers across the South West (apart from Cornwall) have until 19th March 2014 to apply for funds, and all schemes must be able to complete works by 31st October 2014.
All applications will be assessed according to Ready for Retrofit’s funding criteria: match funding is not essential, but applications that have such funding are more likely to be successful. Ideally, schemes should be ready to start from early May, and would be unlikely to happen without this funding.
The £8 million Ready for Retrofit scheme, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and led by the Energy Saving Trust, enables social landlords across the South West to apply for funding to retrospectively fit renewable heat and electricity measures as well as improve energy efficiency in their homes.
Jon Rattenbury, Ready for Retrofit manager, said: “Retrofitting energy efficiency measures is essential to improve the environmental efficiency of social housing. Measures installed with funding from Ready for Retrofit so far include external wall insulation, air source heat pumps, mechanical heat recovery ventilation, heating upgrades, floor insulation and efficient glazing and doors.”
He added: “As well as reducing costs for tenants and lowering the community carbon footprint, we also want to support local businesses that supply these services. The South West has such a strong reputation for renewable energy development that we see efficiency, retrofit and micro-generation as a natural part of this burgeoning sector.”