West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker launched a £167 million energy efficiency fund on Thursday 30 January 2025, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) said. The authority described it as its largest-ever home energy efficiency upgrade programme1.
Up to 14,000 of the region's oldest and coldest social and privately-owned homes are to be upgraded, with insulation, new doors and windows, solar panels and greener heating systems fitted1. The WMCA said the funding will also unlock around £80 million of further investment in housing from councils and their housing providers1. Separately, £36 million will go to making council, school, college, NHS and emergency service buildings cheaper to heat and power1.
The authority cited an estimated 254,000 West Midlands households in fuel poverty, one of the highest rates in the country, and said the region has some of the country's least energy efficient homes1. The Mayor announced the plans at Friar Park in Wednesbury, Sandwell, where 200 social homes built between the First and Second World Wars are being improved1.
"This funding from Government will allow us to upgrade homes, colleges and schools - cutting carbon emissions, cutting bills and most importantly, lifting thousands of families out of fuel poverty."
The WMCA said almost 1,000 people have completed WMCA-funded retrofit training courses since May 2024, and that the work supports the region's bid to be net zero by 20411. It did not set out in the announcement how households will be selected, which areas come first, or how the £167 million breaks down between home upgrades and public buildings beyond the £36 million figure1.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total fund | £167 million |
| Homes to be upgraded | Up to 14,000 |
| Public sector buildings | £36 million |
| Further housing investment unlocked | Around £80 million |
| West Midlands households in fuel poverty | An estimated 254,000 |
Why it matters for households
The programme targets the oldest and coldest homes, which are typically the hardest and most expensive to heat, and the measures named are the ones that reduce standing heat loss rather than cut the unit price of energy. Insulation, doors and windows lower how much heat escapes; solar panels generate electricity on site; and greener heating systems change how the home is heated1. For a household, that combination shifts some of the energy a home needs away from bought-in gas and electricity, which is the practical form energy independence takes at property level.
The fund sits alongside existing routes to home energy grants, including council and local authority energy grants and the supplier-funded Energy Company Obligation, which operate on different eligibility rules. The WMCA announcement does not state which scheme rules the new fund will follow or whether households must be in receipt of particular benefits that qualify for energy grants1. The authority also pointed residents to Act on Energy, the regional advice charity, on 0800 988 2881 for impartial energy advice1.
What happens next
Work is already under way at Friar Park in Wednesbury, where 200 interwar social homes are being improved1. The WMCA has not reported a timetable for the remaining homes, the order in which areas will be treated, or an application route for private owners1.