Cornwall Council: Whole house Retrofit Innovation Project

• Location: Chacewater and St Agnes, Cornwall

• Purpose: With a large proportion off the gas grid, Cornwall’s homes make up 22% of its emissions. The Council bid for government funding, received funds from SSE (an energy company) and used its own funds to run a programme to retrofit whole homes of the most vulnerable residents living in social housing. The project is looking at reducing emissions, heat loss and household bills.

• Description: Taking a fabric first approach the council has upgraded 83 of the poorest performing homes. It will also install solar panels and ground source heat pumps to further reduce energy bills. The council’s approach has been designed so other local authorities with a similar housing stock can replicate it.

• Funding: £4.2 million to fund the retrofit scheme. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy funded £1.05 million, Cornwall Council contributed £2.28 million and SSE funded £880,000.

• Conservative councillor/ council lead: Cornwall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing, Cllr Olly Monk and Cornwall Council’s Carbon Neutral Manager, Mark Holmes

• Further links: Local Government Association (LGA) write-up