The West Midlands Combined Authority announced on 8 June 2022 that more than 300 households in Foleshill, Coventry and Elmdon, Solihull are set to have retrofit measures installed free of charge, with work beginning in September once the first 300 homes have been identified1. Residents in the two districts have been invited to community engagement events, starting later in June, to discuss the scheme1.
A total of £2.86m will be invested in 300 homes across the two areas by the WMCA, drawn from the £19m Sustainable Warmth Competition funding secured by the Midlands Net Zero Hub, working with a consortium of the WMCA, Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council1. The WMCA says it plans to help another 1,700 homes across publicly funded retrofit programmes over the next few years1. The programme will target older homes with low energy efficiency, which will be the first to benefit1.
Eligible measures for selected households will include external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, underfloor insulation, loft insulation, draught proofing, air source heat pumps, solar PV, double glazing, new doors, floor insulation, heating controls and ventilation1. Retrofitting is completely free for residents1.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said:
"With nearly 40% of the region's carbon emissions coming from heating and powering our homes, retrofitting has a key role to play in reducing emissions as we move towards our WM2041 net zero goal - not to mention the help it can offer residents seeking to lower their fuel bills in these challenging times."
Cllr Ian Courts, WMCA portfolio holder for environment and energy and leader of Solihull Council, said over 150 homes in Solihull would become more energy efficient as a result of the funding secured1. Cllr Jim O'Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said the funding would offer low-income households a way to make their homes more energy efficient and help get their energy bills down1.
Why it matters for households
The measures listed cover the fabric of a home as well as its heating and power supply. Insulation, draught proofing and glazing reduce how much heat escapes, while an air source heat pump changes how a home is heated and solar PV changes where some of its electricity comes from. For the households selected, the practical effect is lower energy use for the same comfort, and a home less exposed to movements in gas and electricity prices. The WMCA frames the programme around fuel poverty and carbon emissions, noting that nearly 40% of the region's carbon emissions come from heating and powering homes1.
The scheme is area-based rather than open to all West Midlands households. Only residents in Foleshill and Elmdon have been invited to take part, and the WMCA says the first 300 homes must be identified before work starts1. Cllr O'Boyle acknowledged that people can feel distrustful of offers for reduced cost and free energy saving schemes, and said the initiative would test whether direct, one-to-one conversations can overcome that1. Nothing has been reported on how households outside these two areas might access similar support, or on the criteria used to select homes within them.
What happens next
Community engagement events begin later in June 2022, with householders receiving letters inviting them to attend1. Retrofit work is due to begin in September 2022, once the first 300 homes have been identified1. The WMCA also points to its Net Zero Neighbourhood programme, announced by the Mayor at the COP26 conference in Glasgow last year, which examines a whole-place approach to retrofit1.