In December 2020, the East Lindsey District Council successfully secured £2.2million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for Green Homes Grants. Over the next 18 months, a team was built, contractors were procured, and 192 properties received energy efficiency upgrades to help make them warmer, more affordable to run and less impactful on the environment through reduced carbon emissions.
The challenge
In December 2020, there was no team in place to deliver the sort of works required. The council had never undertaken a project to this size and scale and with an initial nine month delivery programme given by BEIS time was of the essence. Onboarding contractors took time, several months past with little to no installs taking place while supply chains were built and processes tuned. Properties were scattered far and wide along a 20-mile stretch of coastline and hinterland ranging from small terraces to larger rural properties. Economies of scale were difficult to achieve and careful planning was needed to ensure the project ran smoothly.
The solution
Perseverance was key, we grew the team primarily through seconding officers from elsewhere but with some additional external recruitment, and we worked closely with contractors day in, day out to ensure they understood our expectations and delivered what was needed. BEIS recognised the tight delivery timescales and extended the deadline for completion to June 2022. By December 2021 we were seeing 35-40 property completions a month and the positive feedback from residents kept coming. In December 2021 we also secured a further £7.2 million of Sustainable Warmth funding and the process began again but we knew our requirements this time and onboarding has been easier, although not without its challenges.
The impact
Overall, the project installed a total of 392 individual energy efficiency measures which is anticipated to save around 421 tonnes of carbon emissions annually through reduced energy usage. The average saving for residents is estimated at £263 a year on their household bills – a figure expected to have increased as a result of recent energy price increases. The improvements are not only keeping residents warmer but helping them to reduce their bills during the current cost of living crisis - reducing their risk of being in fuel poverty. This in turn benefits them from a health and wellbeing perspective as cold, damp properties are associated with a number of long-term health conditions so improving the building fabric will improve living conditions.
How is the approach being sustained?
This approach is being sustained through the development of our Green Homes Grants team. Having a dedicated team in place ensures we work on the current phase of works but are able to take referrals and pre-applications for future schemes so we are always in the position of being able to get properties through to contractors quickly when new funding rounds open. Having contractors building local supply chains also helps to ensure there is no break in delivery between schemes as well as helping to boost the local economy through engaging local suppliers and contractors.
Lessons learned
Onboarding of contractors is very time consuming and it takes a good six months for them to understand the programme, what's needed/our expectations and start to deliver at the rate needed of between 35-40 properties a month. We've also expanded our knowledge in house and are continuing to build our skillset so we now have a Project Manager that is working towards becoming an accredited building surveyor, we will shortly be training our own Domestic Energy Assessors and we will shortly have two qualified Retrofit Coordinators within the team. This builds our capacity and resilience and improves the due diligence we are able to undertake through our own independent checks.
East Lindsey District Council: Green Home Grants Local Authority Delivery Scheme
Contact
Sarah Baker, Climate Change and Environment Manager, [email protected]