Great Yarmouth Borough Council wins award for energy efficiency work to improve homes

At this month's annual Retrofit Academy Awards, the council won the Best Local Authority-Led Retrofit Programme for its work in partnership with E.ON, which saw grants provided and work carried out for free at 249 homes across the borough. Since then, the number of homes which have had work done has increased and, by the end of this month, is expected to exceed 350.

The work was carried out as part of Great Yarmouth Borough Council's Government-funded Home Upgrade Grant 2 (HUG2) scheme, which is designed to tackle fuel poverty at homes with no gas supply and an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or below.

Working with its contractors E.ON, the scheme delivered average bill savings of £483 per property across 249 homes for residents. And a total of 351 energy efficiency measures have been installed - including loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, Solar PV, and Air Source Heat Pumps, with plans for 12 park homes to receive external wall insulation.

The HUG2 scheme has reduced household energy consumption by 324,755 kWh/m²/year, achieving CO2 savings of 325 tonnes annually.

Following the awards ceremony in London, Nicola Turner, Great Yarmouth Borough Council's Head of Housing Assets, said: ''To be recognised at these prestigious awards is testament to the council's strong collaboration with E.ON and our resident-first ethos.

''During this project, we continuously engaged with residents, hosted community events and kept people's needs at the core of the scheme delivery. Feedback from residents has been excellent. 

''Importantly, the work aligns with the council's goal of carbon neutrality by 2035, while advancing quality of life in an area where many of our residents face income deprivation. Moving forward, Great Yarmouth Borough Council's HUG2 success will stand as a model for future decarbonisation efforts.''

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has partnered with E.ON across multiple Department for Energy and Net Zero schemes to bring vital funding into the area. The HUG2 scheme was targeted at low-income households in homes off the gas grid. The funding enabled the council to tackle fuel poverty by offering free fabric, low carbon heating and renewable energy upgrades.

The project team worked closely with residents to understand their needs and concerns, ensuring the solutions implemented were not only technically sound, but also fit for individual requirements. This approach fostered a sense of ownership and pride among residents, turning them into active participants in the decarbonisation journey.

David Pierpoint, Chief Executive of The Retrofit Academy, said: "These awards recognise excellence across the twin challenges of increasing the quality and the scale of retrofit in the UK. They identify leading professionals making their mark and the projects that demonstrate that good practice and good value are not mutually exclusive."