The West Midlands Combined Authority has launched the Sustainable Warmth Competition programme in Elmdon, Solihull, and Foleshill in Coventry, following the award of £2.86m from funding the authority secured from central government1. The launch formed part of the £3M Sustainable Warmth Competition awarded earlier this year, and community engagement with residents in the two areas began at the same time1.
The programme offers support to retrofit homes with measures ranging from insulation to solar PV to low carbon heat pumps1. Separately, the WMCA's Energy Capital team, working in a consortium with Sandwell Council, Solihull Community Housing, City of Wolverhampton Council, Community Housing Group, Midland Heart, Orbit Housing Group and Wrekin Housing Group, secured £7.5M from the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund1. That money will retrofit 600 social homes across the region, including low carbon heating systems and solar panels1.
The announcements were made at a Greener Together Forum, where Birmingham residents Harriet and Chris Martin described work on their 1930s-built home in Bournville. An insulation programme plus solar PV panels and energy saving lighting has, they estimate, cut their fuel bills by around £1,000 a year, reduced gas usage by 65% and electricity by 70%1.
"Specifying the right solutions and building community support under these schemes is absolutely right, and I look forward to the installations getting underway in the Autumn."
The WMCA has set up the SMART Hub (Sustainable Market for Affordable Retrofit Technologies) as part of its investment to deliver its net zero targets. The team has led the region in attracting more than £10m of funding for retrofit projects and has supported partners in additional bids of more than £14m1. The region's stated ambition is net zero by 20411.
| Scheme | Funding | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Warmth Competition | £2.86m, part of a £3M competition | Elmdon, Solihull and Foleshill, Coventry |
| Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund | £7.5M | 600 social homes across the region |
Why it matters for households
Both schemes direct public money at the fabric of existing homes rather than at new build, which is where most of the UK's housing stock sits. Insulation, solar PV and low carbon heating are the measures that reduce how much energy a home needs to buy in the first place, and the Bournville example shows the scale of reduction that a whole-house approach can produce: 65% less gas and 70% less electricity, with bills around £1,000 a year lower1. For a household, that is the difference between depending on the grid and the gas network for every unit of comfort and meeting a larger share of that demand from the property itself. The social housing element matters because tenants do not choose their heating system or their insulation, so improvements there depend on landlords and funding rounds rather than on individual decisions. Details of eligibility, the specific measures available in each area and how residents apply have not been reported.
What happens next
Installations under the schemes are expected to get underway in the Autumn, according to the Mayor of the West Midlands1. Retrofit specification work for the social housing consortium has commenced1. No further dates have been reported.