Homes across Southampton are becoming more energy efficient with a £27m partnership between Southampton City Council and British Gas.
We are committed to making more homes energy efficient, which not only makes them warmer but reduces the cost of energy and its carbon emissions. In Britain’s biggest energy efficiency improvement project, we are fulfilling this ambition through a £27m scheme delivered in partnership with Southampton City Council. This will see 1,500 homes improved across the city as part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO)[1].
The energy efficiency transformations will benefit tenants living in five tower blocks and nine smaller estate blocks spanning Thornhill, Shirley, St Mary’s and Maybush. These homes will become warmer and more affordable to heat by reducing the amount of energy escaping from the properties. As a result, we estimate the scheme will also deliver lifetime carbon savings of around 126,000 tonnes from reduced energy consumption.
Work will begin from next month with improvements ranging from new windows and heating controls to new roofs and external wall insulation. The external wall insulation fitted by British Gas will also give the properties a more modern look, improving the overall appearance of the housing estate.
David Young, Managing Director of British Gas Energy Efficiency, said: “We’re proud to deliver Britain’s biggest energy efficiency improvement scheme in partnership with Southampton Council to create thousands of warmer, more energy efficient homes.”
Councilor Warwick Payne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability, commented: "This energy efficiency project will provide affordable warmth to tenants, improve the appearance of properties and boost the local economy with job opportunities created by this exciting scheme.
"This will be a massive project, some three times larger than the recent works in Weston. We look forward to working with British Gas, our tenants and the wider communities in the months ahead to make energy-saving improvements to these estates."
The scheme follows a successful collaboration with Southampton City Council on the Community Energy Savings Project (CESP)[2], which provided energy-saving improvements to more than 500 homes in Weston.
To find out more about our community energy efficiency schemes, read about the recent £25m project in Solihull or explore our website.