Further green steps being made to decarbonise council-owned properties in and around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth

Further green steps are being made to help decarbonise council-owned properties in the Warwick district.

As part of its commitment to make Warwick District carbon neutral by 2030, Warwick District Council plans to install air source heat pumps in dozens of council properties over the coming months.

Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) under the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme and the Council’s Housing Improvement Programme, the installation of the pumps is part of a wider initiative to decarbonise local homes.

The 40 properties selected to take part in the scheme are occupied by households on a below average income for Warwickshire and have a poor energy performance rating of between D and F.

The council says heat pumps will replace outdated heating systems reducing CO2 emissions by 3.5 tonnes.

Cllr Jan Matecki, portfolio holder for homes, health and well-being said: “Our climate emergency declaration and targets are ambitious, we are therefore very pleased that this scheme will allow us to press ahead with our plans to improve the energy performance of our housing stock making homes warmer in winter and significantly reducing their carbon footprint.”

Although the district council will work with E.ON to deliver the scheme, those taking part are not required to be an existing E.ON or E.ON Next customer to benefit.

Nigel Dewbery, director of residential solutions at E.ON, added: “Improving the energy efficiency of homes across the UK is key to meeting the nation’s net-zero targets, and can dramatically improve people’s living conditions, by helping to increase their comfort and potentially reducing their energy bills.

“We’re delighted to be bringing these benefits to households across Warwickshire as we continue to work with Warwick District Council to install energy efficiency measures, such as air source heat pumps in the homes of eligible residents.”

In addition, the Council has recently also been awarded funding for an additional 163 council properties to be fitted with a combination of solar PV panels in addition to heat pumps and loft insulation in a further effort to improve the energy efficiency of its properties.