Scarborough Borough Homes Facing Fuel Poverty Could Benefit from £8.3m Heating Upgrades

More than 600 low-income households across parts of North Yorkshire will receive green upgrades to make them more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy.

A consortium led by North Yorkshire County Council with Scarborough Borough Council, Ryedale District Council and Hambleton District Council has secured more than £8.3m from the Government’s Sustainable Warmth fund to carry out the improvements.

The funding will provide upgrades to low-income households to tackle fuel poverty and contribute towards net zero carbon targets. It will help some of the least efficient homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy. The upgrades aim to create warmer homes at lower cost and will support low-income families with the switch to low-carbon heating, ensuring households facing fuel poverty are not left behind in the move to net zero carbon.

The funding will be split between households heated by mains gas and those off the gas grid. For the former, measures will include solar panels, hybrid air source heat pumps, loft insulation, underfloor insulation and external wall insulation. Similar improvements will be provided for the latter, plus measures such as high-retention storage heaters and air source heat pumps. Homes will be selected based on need across the three districts.

Councillor Carl Maw, Scarborough Borough Council cabinet member for stronger communities and housing, said:

“There is a comparatively high percentage of older, fuel inefficient homes in the borough, which need significant improvements making to their insulation and heating systems.

“This latest funding, which follows our recent collaboration on the Green Homes Grant scheme, allows us to help even more households in need make their homes warmer, more affordable and energy efficient, and kinder to the planet.”

County Councillor Andrew Lee, Executive Member for Public Health, said:

“Living in a cold home can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, with an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, poor mental health and falls. So we are delighted that working with Hambleton, Scarborough and Ryedale councils we have been successful in our bid for funding that will help us with our ambitions to reduce fuel poverty, while supporting households to improve energy efficiency and switch to low-carbon heating.

“This funding will enable us to focus on the off-gas areas across North Yorkshire where we have the highest levels of fuel poverty and the least energy efficient homes that are mostly heated by oil or electric heaters. It will also enhance our existing programmes to improve health by providing upgrades to people living in cold homes.”

“We are delighted that our consortium has managed to secure such a large sum of money, which will help bring a lot of people out of the depths of fuel poverty and boost our ambitions to create a net zero carbon emission county,” said Councillor David Webster for Hambleton District Council.

“This scheme adds to several others we have been successful in receiving funding for to help support households to improve their energy efficiency – especially important at a time of rising energy costs.”

The consortium expects to appoint a provider to deliver the upgrades by April. Details of how households can apply for the scheme will be available at that time. All measures must be completed by 31 March 2023.

Meanwhile, anyone who is worried about heating their home or cannot afford their energy bills can seek advice from Warm and Well in North Yorkshire. The service can also offer advice on switching energy supplier, fuel debt and energy efficiency measures. Contact Warm and Well on 01609 767555, email wnw@northyorkslca.org.uk or visit the website, www.warmandwell.org.uk

People in Scarborough and Ryedale can also find out about the Home Improvement Agency’s collective switch scheme at www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/environment/choices-4-energy