HCA unveils cavity wall insulation funding

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) published on-line guidance of how social landlords - RSLS, ALMOs and local authorities - can bid for housing funding package for cavity wall insulation.

The Social Housing Energy Saving Programme (SHESP) aims to help social landlords insulate hard to treat cavity walls, which would have not normally have been filled under the Decent Homes programme, thereby making more homes much more energy efficient.

The funding made available seeks to deliver on a number of aims:.

- an increase in the number of social homes that have cavity insulation.

- an overall improvement in the SAP (energy) ratings.

- a reduction in carbon emissions.

The SHESP funding will be delivered over two years, and is expected to deliver a total of 130,000 difficult-to-fill insulated homes.

Eligible bids must be for at least category 3 insulation (hard to fill), and the minimum size of a bid is 1000 homes to be insulated.

Bids should be submitted by 12th June, with the announcement of bidders who are successful in early July.

Commenting on SHESP, Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive of the HCA, welcomed the initiative and said that the additional funding was an essential boost to maintaining existing social housing stock.

"This funding is in addition to our existing Decent Homes programme and will empower social landlords to continue improving existing social homes and meet the needs of their communities.

He added: "The HCA is committed to reducing energy emissions in homes, and the impact of this improvement programme will mean that social housing tenants will also have the opportunity to significantly reduce their energy bills".

This is the second funding package announced by the HCA since April's Budget - last week saw the launch of the GBP400million Kickstart Housing Delivery Programme package to unlock sites that have stalled but where development could proceed immediately; and GBP100million of extra funding to deliver new council homes for social rent.

Details of the bidding process for SHESP funding can be viewed on the website.

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