�1.7m for Leeds City Region residents to warm their homes

More than 400 households across the Leeds City Region will benefit from £1.7million of funding to tackle fuel poverty and keep household bills low.

In a competitive bid to government, the LEP successfully secured funding to support local people living in homes that are not connected to the gas grid to have central heating installed for the first time. Once installed, central heating has the potential to help households save up to £1,000 a year as well as ensuring their homes become more energy efficient.

In the Leeds City Region, the Better Homes Yorkshire scheme, which launched in March this year, is already supporting residents carry out energy improvement work to their homes. This new funding will complement the existing programme and ensure over 400 households across the ten Local Authorities and several Housing Associations within the Leeds City Region will benefit from fully funded gas connections and central heating systems.

Paul Hamer, Chair of the LEP’s Green Economy Panel said: “Supporting people to become more energy efficient is central to achieving our ambition of living in a lean, resource smart city region.

“This funding will support the activity already being delivered across the region and will allow us to forge new partnerships with organisations such as National Grid and Northern Gas Networks to deliver free gas connections to people living in fuel poverty.

“This, coupled with new renewable energy systems available to households and support to help people better understand how to use their heating systems effectively, will enable us to save money and energy in the future.”

Councillor David Green, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Panel and Leader of Bradford Council said: “By reducing fuel poverty, Better Homes Yorkshire is achieving West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s aim of improving local people’s health and wellbeing.

“This additional funding means that hundreds more families across the City Region, will be keeping their homes warm thanks to gas connections and central heating systems installed as a result of this innovative public and private sector partnership.

““I would urge any households contacted about Better Homes Yorkshire to take advantage of the scheme.”

From autumn, the Leeds City Region local authorities in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the LEP, will begin to install central heating systems in local fuel poor households. In some cases where a gas connection is not viable, some households will be offered a renewable energy system to help bring their fuel bill down. Eligible households will be contacted directly about the offer by their Local Authority or the Better Homes Yorkshire team.

Click here to find out more about the Better Homes Yorkshire programme.