SOUTH Lakes Housing has been awarded £3.5 million for major energy improvements to more than 900 homes.

The housing association was given match funding through the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). 

South Lakes was part of a consortium led by Westmorland and Furness council, which attracted a total of £5.1 million of funding from the SHDF to deliver a £10.3 million retrofit project across Cumbria. 

This funding is part of £778m allocated across England to help upgrade thousands of social homes to reach an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C-Rating.

The association says that the funding will enable it to retrofit and decarbonise the homes to improve carbon emissions and to make residents' homes more energy efficient. 

South Lakes Housing aims to make all its homes EPC 'C' rating by 2025, which would be five years earlier that the government target. 

The association says that it will install a range of energy-efficiency measures in almost a third of SLH homes including external wall insulation, cavity insulation and double glazing, and some homes will also be fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps.

This would deliver results immediately and exponentially in terms of lower costs, reduced emissions, and clearer air, it said.

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Cath Purdy, Chief Executive of SLH, said: “It’s fantastic news we have secured £3.5m of funding in the second wave of the SHDF which will match-fund the significant investment we are making.  

"Decarbonising social homes has a fundamental role to play in meeting ours and the country’s net zero targets.

"This funding will make a real difference to our customers who live in the lowest energy performing homes and help us to provide warm, healthy homes in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Eligible customers will be contacted individually in the coming weeks by our team with details of the scheme and planned investment in their homes.