West Northamptonshire Council has received over £6m from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to upgrade council-owned homes in Northampton.
The project will be delivered by Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) and should see the energy efficiency of around 400 homes improved.
Residents in St James, Kingsley, Kingsthorpe, Abington, and Kingsthorpe Hollow stand to benefit from new windows and doors, better insulation inside and outside the home, and improved ventilation.
As a result of the upgrades, homes should be easier to heat and energy bills reduced.
NPH says it is “delighted” to receive the next wave of this government funding to continue the Whole House Retrofit project, which began last year on homes in Kingsthorpe and Kingsley, with work on some homes being completed this month.
Terence Timms, a resident who is currently having these upgrade works on his home, said: “I need to have my heating on a lot to keep warm, so I hope that the new windows and insulation will mean I save money on my bills.
“I’ve already noticed that my new windows are much better at keeping heat in, as my old ones were draughty at times, so I’m sure I will.
“The improvements are making my home look really smart so far and I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s all finished.”
Paul Tucker, Sustainability manager at Northampton Partnership Homes, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this funding, which will allow us to offer the benefits of the retrofit project to more households in Northampton.
“We’re targeting homes built in the early 20th Century as these homes are often expensive to heat and energy inefficient due to the way they’re built.
“Residents living in these homes face high bills when heating their homes, and these bills are set to rise even further over the next few months.
“The improvements made to homes through this project will help to lower their energy costs and make their home environment more comfortable all year round.
“We’re also delighted that we’ll be able to support the local economy and help create green jobs with this funding.”
‘Set for the future’
John is a NPH resident who found a job with the contractors carrying out the retrofit upgrades on his home through this project.
He is now working to make these improvements on other homes in Northampton.
John said: “I was out of work and waiting for an operation on my hip, which had been delayed. When the work started on my home, I heard that the contractors had a job vacancy.
“I had construction experience when I was younger, so I decided to apply. I love my job – it’s given me a new lease of life, and I’ve been learning a lot from my colleagues and from the training courses I’ve been on.
“The work we’re doing on homes is really worthwhile; it’s getting them set for the future as they’ll be on their way to being carbon-zero, and they’ll be more comfortable for residents too.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the benefits in my own home once the work is completed.”
Councillor Adam Brown, West Northamptonshire Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Housing, Culture, and Leisure, said: “I am delighted that we have received this funding which will be invested in those homes across Northampton which need improvements the most.
“Ensuring residents have a warm and safe home that they can afford to heat is a priority for the council, especially given the rising costs of energy bills which we are facing this year.
“By improving the energy efficiency of our properties in some of our most vulnerable communities, we can help reduce fuel poverty and also help to reduce the carbon emissions from these properties.”
Northampton Partnership Homes is a not-for-profit arms-length management organisation (ALMO) that is responsible for the management of West Northamptonshire Council’s housing services across Northampton.
Image: External works on property in Kingsley, Northampton
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