Climate Action Week in Waltham Forest: £2.25million secured to support energy efficiency in local homes

Waltham Forest Council celebrated London Climate Week with the announcement of a £2.25million boost in government funding to support household energy efficiency improvements. 

The funding has been secured by the council through £1.7m from The Greater London Authority with Warmer Homes London, through the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme. It will support energy efficiency improvements for residents on lower incomes living in privately owned or rented homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating between D and G. 

The council has also been awarded a further £512,000 funding courtesy of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund towards the installation of solar panels on 100 council homes with an EPC rating of D or below. This will all to help improve energy efficiency and reduce energy bills for council tenants. 

The funding award formed part of a wider bid made by a partnership of 20 London boroughs and six housing associations. It has been successfully awarded nearly £78 million in funding to improve energy efficiency in social rented homes across London.

The grant is set boost efforts to reduce carbon emissions produced local in homes as part of the council’s ambitious climate action commitments and action to deliver net zero for the borough.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant will fund energy efficiency measures including insulation, heat pumps, solar panels, smart controls, and other home improvements.  

Eligible residents will be able to apply for the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme from July. The council will open the application process in due course. Delivery of the energy is about to start in July and installations will be carried out by the council’s own retrofit company, Kanopiworks, which is part of Waltham Forest Servicestore. 

Cllr Clyde Loakes MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Air Quality, said: 

We are celebrating London Climate Action Week, which is all about working together to deliver meaningful action in the capital. I’m delighted that the council is working alongside the The Greater London Authority, with Warmer Homes London. deliver a huge funding boost to help cut emissions and reduce energy bills in local homes.

This grant offers a fantastic opportunity for eligible residents to get funding for a wide range of energy boosting measures around the home and upgrading their home’s energy efficiency. 

Household emissions are the largest part of the borough’s carbon footprint. Increasing our energy efficiency collectively is a vital part of our work to deliver a greener and more environmentally friendly future for our borough.

We have an ambitious programme of climate action and nature recovery. We will continue to work wherever we can to deliver for local people and work towards a more environmentally-friendly borough in the future.

Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration said:

It’s vital that homes across Waltham Forest become more energy efficient. Reducing the amount of energy homes need and improving how well they store heat will tackle the climate emergency and fuel poverty.

With residents' help, we are taking a step closer to achieving our climate emergency objectives whilst reducing our impact on the planet for future generations to come. 

This funding is a significant step towards our goal of making homes in Waltham Forest more energy-efficient and reducing energy costs for our residents. We are committed to improving the quality of life for our community through sustainable initiatives.