Council’s Housing Service secures funds for warmer homes | Latest news

Arun District Council's Housing Service has been successful in a funding bid to an energy efficiency scheme.

The bid was submitted to the government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for funding from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, and we are delighted to announce a provisional allocation offer worth over £3.3m.

The programme provides grants to social housing providers to help them improve their homes to energy performance certificate Band C. Arun District Council has also committed a further £4.5m of funds to the project over the next three years, which will be used to upgrade some of the worst performing homes.

We have identified more than 400 homes that will benefit from plans to make the properties warmer, reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty by installing insulation, alternative heating systems and solar PV panels on roofs.

These steps will improve the household's thermal comfort (a term that describes the temperature, air flow, and humidity, amongst other factors, in a property so that residents are neither too hot or too cold throughout the year), whilst saving money on energy bills.

The council is already working with a partner who will deliver the work and we are aiming to start phase one from May 2025. Residents included in that phase of work will be contacted individually to discuss the recommended improvements and to conduct a final survey, so this important work can begin.

Councillor Carol Birch, Chair of the Housing and Wellbeing Committee at Arun District Council, said:

"I am delighted that the hard work of our officers in bidding for this funding alongside their daily work has paid off. 

"This is a significant amount of money and will make such a difference to so many households. We want to make sure that we use this money to make the greatest impact to those homes that need it most and will share information on progress as we move through the different phases of work."