London energy efficiency retrofit boost

A new funding stream has been launched in London to help retrofit buildings and boost energy efficiency.
The ‘Warmer Homes London’ scheme will fund the installation of insultation, solar panels and heat pumps at properties across the capital.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) will work in partnership with London Councils to deliver the scheme, backed with £10m of GLA funding.
Low-income owner-occupiers, low-income private tenants and social landlords will be eligible to access funding for retrofits that improve energy efficiency.
The programme will also enable the installation of low-carbon heating systems and home solar systems.
Cllr Claire Holland, chair of London Councils, said the scheme should improve “tens of thousands of homes”.
She said: “Warmer Homes London is a perfect example of how tackling the climate emergency and improving the lives of our residents go hand-in-hand, with joint working across all levels of government vital to achieving this.”
The GLA said the initiative would bring efforts to retrofit homes under a more efficient hub, enabling faster and broader progress.
“Until now, boroughs have had to apply for funding individually, led by the Government’s funding rounds,” the statement reads. “This created costs and long-term uncertainty. Warmer Homes London will create a ‘one-London approach’, forming a close link with Government and providing reliable, long-term funds to boroughs, meaning they will have the certainty they need to progress retrofit works in their area.”
Warmer Homes London will run for around four years. In addition to the funding from the central Government, London boroughs will collectively contribute £400,000 towards the scheme’s start-up costs.

The news from the GLA came shortly after the UK Government opened a fresh round of consultations on its plans to require all privately rented homes across England and Wales to meet at least Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C by 2030.
Currently, around half of England’s private rented homes do not meet the EPC C level.
The Government is proposing that landlords should not have to spend more than £15,000 per property on retrofitting, decreasing to £10,000 for properties with far lower rents or council tax bands.