Harrogate organisation given over £135,000 to launch carbon cutting ‘retrofit revolution’
The Retrofit Programme led by Zero Carbon Harrogate is set to start in the next few months
Over £135,000 in grants have been given to local charity Zero Carbon Harrogate for a ‘first of its kind in the UK’ retrofit programme.
Funding from Ofgem’s Energy Redress Scheme and the National Lottery’s ‘Together for our Planet’ fund will be put towards training and engagement across Harrogate. The aim is to reduce the climate impact of domestic energy use by making retrofit services easy to access.
Retrofits are installations of energy saving measures such as home insulation, replacement windows and doors, upgrading ventilation, draft proofing and installing heat pumps. The measures make homes warmer and reduce CO2 emissions.
Fiona Jones, Zero Carbon Harrogate’s Retrofit Team Leader, said:
“We are absolutely delighted that both our applications were successful and that our programme was recognised as much needed for our district. This is a ground-breaking programme and the first of its kind in the UK.”
In 2020, the BBC’s Shared Data Unit found that 70% of Harrogate Borough properties with an energy rating were rated D-G. Zero Carbon Harrogate say that to meet net zero targets, the energy efficiency of these homes needs to be improved urgently.
Harrogate has a lack of tradespeople who have the skills to do these installations, so the funding will also go towards training local tradespeople to deliver retrofits. Harrogate College are currently developing a curriculum to deliver retrofit training.
Holly Hansen-Maughan, Partnerships and Development Manager at Harrogate College, said:
“We have already had a fantastic start to our retrofit training programme with an oversubscribed course in January on the ‘Foundations of Eco-Retrofit’, through People Powered Retrofit. New courses in Domestic Energy Assessment are also coming in March.”
The Retrofit Programme led by Zero Carbon Harrogate is set to start in the next few months.