The cost of heating homes is a struggle which too many York and North Yorkshire residents face in the cold winter months.
As energy prices put a strain on household bills, it’s often the most vulnerable who are left facing tough choices over how to get the most out of already stretched household budgets. As of 2022 around 60,000 households in York and North Yorkshire were in fuel poverty.
To build healthy thriving communities, where nobody needs to choose between heating or eating, we need to maximise energy efficiency in our homes and businesses.
Retrofitting is an accessible solution which is already bringing big savings and more comfortable buildings to those who live or run businesses in York and North Yorkshire.
The Centre for Sustainable Energy defines retrofit as any improvement work on an existing building to improve its energy efficiency, making it easier to heat, while retaining that heat for longer, and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.
So, what could that look like in the home? A good example is the seventies-built Hungate Court in the coastal town of Hunmanby, where an investment in retrofit is bringing big savings through reliable, modern technologies and materials, such as solar panels, double glazing, insulation and ground source heat pumps.
Hungate Court resident Pauline Barker (76) has been at the independent living facility for seven-and-half-years.
She said: “The work was finished around October or November last year and it’s definitely made a difference. Once it’s switched on the heat just comes through. Everybody here says it’s better now.
“I would estimate that it’s cut my fuel bills in half. It’s made a massive difference.”
Fellow resident, Mick Walsh, added: “I think there’s no doubt there’s quality in the flats. The hot water system is amazing the heating system is amazing.”
Led by the housing association Beyond Housing, the upgrade comes thanks to a partnership with energy company E.ON, and is backed by funding from the Government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
Retrofit is a growing sector, and the demand for services and technology means there is a huge opportunity for growth and jobs. Growth in retrofit supply chains in York and North Yorkshire is essential to ensure the growing demand for retrofit is being answered by local skills and expertise.
The Government is supporting this with a pledge to upgrade five million homes within five years, investing £13.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans. Meanwhile York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority is developing York and North Yorkshire’s Retrofit Strategy, a collaborative document that provides strategic direction for retrofit in the region, and harnesses local opportunities. This will play a key role in the forthcoming, refreshed Routemap to Carbon Negative, the document detailing how the region will reach Carbon Negative status by 2040.
On a recent visit to Hungate Court, York and North Yorkshire Mayor, David Skaith said: “More than a quarter of homes in York and North Yorkshire were built more than 100 years ago. That is the scale of the challenge we’re up against, but we have ambition and potential to make a big difference.”
To find out more on retrofitting your home visit