Council tenants to reap the benefits of refurbished properties
Lancaster City Council is helping its tenants tackle rising energy costs and climate change by improving the energy efficiency of its homes with a whole house improvement programme.
The refurbishment and retrofitting of 150 council homes in the most urgent need of improvement is scheduled to take four years to complete.
The programme aims to help tenants save money in energy costs, as well as reduce the carbon emissions generated by 30% per household each year.
The improvement works include full decoration, the installation of new bathrooms and kitchens, ‘A’ rated windows, boilers, a new central heating system and removal of inefficient gas and electric fires. Homes also benefit from insulation works, composite front and back doors, and LED lightbulbs throughout.
The first phase of refurbishment works to 19 properties on Mount Avenue in Lancaster, which started in June last year, is now complete with plans to roll out phase 2 of the programme to the remaining 30 properties on the avenue later this year.
To ensure tenants make full use of the efficiency measures in place, tenants are offered top tips on how to use their heating systems effectively and other action they can take to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions.
Councillor Cary Matthews, cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: “The aim of this long-term improvement strategy is to improve the health and wellbeing of our tenants by providing high quality energy efficient homes that they can be proud of.
“We are also very excited that this improvement programme will be another way in which we can drive our ambition to reduce the CO2 emissions generated by our operations to net zero by 2030.”
Feedback from tenants living in the refurbished homes so far on Mount Avenue has been very positive.
Resident Amy Barret, said: “The improvement of living standards for myself and my children is fantastic. We now have a lovely warm cosy home. Whenever I have the heating on at a standard level I no longer feel it necessary to turn it up like I did prior to the work being done, or worry as much about how much it is going to cost me.”
Last updated: 27 January 2022