Green Party Councillor Douglas Johnson, who is Chair of the Council’s Housing Committee, has welcomed significant investment to improve the heating systems and insulation standards of hundreds of Council homes.
1249 homes are due to receive heating system upgrades over the next 2 years. Gas boilers will be replaced with modern Air Source Heat Pumps that extract heat from the surrounding air to provide heating, where this is technically possible. Where it is not possible to install a heat pump, an energy efficient A-rated gas boiler will be installed instead.
Sheffield Council will also be insulating some of its least energy-efficient housing. Homes built in the 1940s and 1950s out of pre-cast concrete are cold, leaky and very difficult to heat. Costs for insulating these homes have risen due to inflationary press
ures.
Councillor Douglas Johnson said,
“Improving the energy efficiency of homes tackles climate change and also helps address the cost of living crisis which affects those on the lowest incomes the most. Greens have been campaigning for improved energy performance standards of homes for many years, so this investment is very welcome. What’s more, this will be an opportunity for a new generation of apprentices to learn the skills of installing technology for the future.
“We need to do a lot more, though. Greens have also proposed that the Council develops a scheme for private householders to help them upgrade their homes by releasing some of their equity to pay for measures such as insulation and solar panels with no upfront costs. This could be a relatively easy way of improving a large number of homes, reducing both energy costs and carbon emissions.”
NOTES
Sheffield City Council – Agenda for Strategy and Resources Policy Committee on Wednesday 19 April 2023, 2.00 pm
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