People living in more than 100 homes owned by Bath-headquartered housing association Curo are set to benefit from a £2m-plus improvement programme to help them save money on energy bills while reducing their properties’ carbon emissions.
Curo, best known in Bath for its flagship 700-home Mulberry Park development on former MoD land on the city’s outskirts, is one of several housing associations to secure the funding in a joint bid with the South West Net Zero Hub.
The hub, hosted by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), works across the region to deliver net zero energy projects.
The investment includes £1.03m from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), with Curo funding £1.04m directly.
The scheme will target 113 of Curo’s least energy efficient properties with measures that will make a lasting difference to these homes’ energy performance.
These will be mostly ‘fabric-first’ improvements such as roof and wall insulation as well as some solar electricity installations, solar hot water and improved heating and controls that will lower energy bills and keep homes warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Curo director for asset management & procurement Matt Steele said: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded this funding which will help us to transform the energy efficiency of these homes.
“In our recent Greener Homes survey Curo residents told us they want us to prioritise measures like these that will lessen the environmental impact of our properties and make them easier to keep warm and dry.
“This is the start of an energy investment programme that will continue for years after we’ve upgraded these homes and will result in almost all our customers’ homes having an energy performance rating of A, B or C by 2028/29.”
The upgrades are part of a wider Curo commitment to invest £142m across its customers’ homes over the next 10 years, prioritising the thermal performance of each property and tackling some common causes of damp and condensation.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, 21% of total UK carbon emissions come from homes, making reducing them a priority in meeting the UK’s net zero ambitions.
South West Net Zero Hub programme manager Jon Rattenbury said: “This is fantastic news for households in the South West and it takes us a step closer to achieving the region’s net zero targets.
“We look forward to working with our partners to deliver sustainable home upgrades that will make homes warmer and address fuel poverty.”
Curo manages more than 13,000 homes across the West of England and builds hundreds of new ones each year.
It secured the money as part of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s £778m Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund for energy efficiency upgrades in social housing across the country.
