The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, along with London Councils, has introduced a groundbreaking programme aimed at making the capital’s homes warmer, more energy-efficient, and reducing energy bills for Londoners. The initiative, known as Warmer Homes London (WHL), is set to revolutionise the way homes in London are upgraded.
WHL is being implemented in collaboration with London boroughs and housing associations to enhance the energy efficiency of homes across the city, making them warmer and more cost-effective to run. Over the next four years, the Mayor will invest nearly £10 million into WHL, establishing a central hub for green housing funding and information. This new approach will replace the previous system where boroughs had to apply for funding individually, often leading to increased costs and uncertainty.
The 'one-London approach' of WHL will create a strong partnership with the Government, providing consistent, long-term funding to boroughs. This will enable them to plan and execute retrofit projects with greater confidence. The central hub will also facilitate a more coordinated strategy with the Government, enhancing bargaining power and allowing for larger-scale and faster home improvements.
The initiative aims to help thousands of Londoners reduce their energy bills by funding energy-efficient measures such as improved insulation, the replacement of fossil fuel heating systems, and the installation of heat pumps. Social landlords, low-income homeowners, and low-income private tenants will be eligible to participate, ensuring that those most vulnerable to fuel poverty benefit from the funding.
WHL will also secure funding from the Government’s Warm Homes Social Fund and Warm Homes Local Grant, which together total £1.79 billion for the period 2025–2028. The focus will be on installing energy-saving measures in low-income private housing.
London’s homes contribute to one-third of the city’s carbon emissions, and many are not energy efficient, leading to higher heating costs in winter and excessive heat retention in summer. Rising living costs and fuel prices have exacerbated fuel poverty, forcing many Londoners to choose between heating their homes and other essential expenses. In social rented homes with poor energy efficiency, 56% of households are living in fuel poverty. Improving the energy efficiency of these homes is a crucial part of London’s strategy to address the climate emergency.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Londoners have been struggling for years with sky-high energy bills. Warmer Homes London will help Londoners save money on their bills by making their homes more energy efficient and cheaper to heat.
“By working in close collaboration with local councils and housing associations, Warmer Homes London will enable us to upgrade more homes, and do it more quickly avoiding unnecessarily long wait times for home improvement works.”
“Making our homes more energy efficient is a priority for me, but also the new government. Through this new initiative we will be able to unlock more national funding from the Government for homes in London. Together, we can build a better, safer and greener London for everyone.”
Cllr Claire Holland, Chair of London Councils said:
“With 379,000 households in London living in fuel poverty, taking action to make homes in our city warmer and more energy efficient is vital for our residents’ health, wellbeing and finances.
“Warmer Homes London will bring together London boroughs, the Mayor of London, housing associations and government to drive this work forward. It aims to unlock millions of pounds of investment to deliver improvements to tens of thousands of homes across London, making them more energy efficient, reducing their environmental impact and saving Londoners money on their bills.
“Warmer Homes London is a perfect example of how tackling the climate emergency and improving the lives of our residents go hand-in-hand, with joint working across all levels of government vital to achieving this.”
Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said:
“Everyone deserves to live in a warm, comfortable home.
“Warmer Homes London marks an important step towards making thousands of homes cheaper to run for Londoners with clean energy while cutting fuel poverty across the capital.
“It will also support delivery of our Warm Homes Plan, which is set to benefit up to 300,000 homes with energy-saving upgrades this financial year.”
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