15,000 Haringey council homes to be retrofit under council plans

Around 15,000 Haringey council homes could become energy efficient under new plans to tackle high household bills and carbon emissions, the local authority has announced. 

The council cabinet recently reached an agreement on the programme, with 1,500 homes set to be retrofit and improved each year until 2028, with those most in need targeted first.

The Council Housing Energy Action Plan will support households struggling with energy costs and efficiency through the installation of energy efficiency measures, such as external wall and loft insulation, draught-proofed doors and windows, heat pumps and solar panels.

Predicting the average heating bills could drop by 28%, the council states this change will help tenants who are feeling the pressures of the current cost-of-living crisis and offer them more financial freedom.

Additionally, the local authority is also hoping the project will help Haringey become a net-zero carbon borough by 2041 – the pioneering approach predicts a 98% reduction in carbon emissions from council homes by 2038.

Cllr Dana Carlin, Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters, and Planning said: ‘This ambitious programme is a major step forward in our efforts to end fuel poverty.

‘Energy bills will be dramatically reduced, which is fantastic news for residents struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Thousands of Haringey families will benefit from a secure future in a warm, healthy, comfortable, and affordable home.

‘By retrofitting all council homes, we are not only transforming the lives of families across the borough, but we are also creating new, high-skilled jobs in our community and supporting the green economy.’

£100m has already been committed to the scheme and there are plans to apply for government funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to further support the energy efficiency improvement efforts. 

Cllr Mike Hakata, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport said: ‘This hugely ambitious project is critically important in driving a carbon neutral borough by 2041. Housing accounts for half of Haringey’s emissions.

‘As with all council programmes aimed at tackling climate change this plan has multiple co-benefits, including reducing the energy bills of low-income families, improving indoor air quality as well as dovetailing with our drive to continue to build a local skills base and invest in our local supply chain and economy.’

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante