Energy saving measures installed in over 120 Blacon homes

Funding for housing retrofit to support the Council’s vision and ambitions in the housing section of the borough's Climate Emergency Response Plan is a significant challenge. The Council has been successful in applying for various rounds of national funding for housing retrofit in the borough, helping to support our decarbonisation ambitions and improving the energy efficiency of homes for our residents.

In 2022, the Council and Sanctuary Housing received a grant of £596,000 from DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) to carry out retrofit improvements to housing stock in Blacon, Chester. Working in partnership (with additional funding from Sanctuary) the scheme delivered retrofit improvements to 123 homes in Blacon with various energy saving measures incorporated. The improvements made to the homes included the installation of Solar PV systems, air source heat pumps and external wall insulation.

The scheme was praised by DESNZ for the way that the partners worked with the community to encourage and support residents to have retrofit measures in their homes. Residents attended community sessions held by the contractors managing the works and additional quality assurance checks on site gave them confidence in the works. The contractors tried to be as quick and efficient as possible in the homes and received praise from residents for their quick response and professional attitude.