A pilot project to help improve the energy efficiency of traditional terraced homes and cut household bills is being launched thanks to funding secured by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
The Retrofit Hub will work with 100 households in the Manningham area of Bradford to look at how energy bills could be cut with the installation of carbon cutting measures and insulation.
It will also help to equip people of all ages with the skills needed to take up a career in retrofitting buildings and other green jobs.
The Retrofit Hub has received £471,763 from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund and if successful, it will be rolled out across West Yorkshire.
It will help deliver two of the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s pledges, to tackle the climate and environment emergency and to prioritise skills and training to ensure everyone in the region has the skills they need to secure work.
Commenting, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said:
“In West Yorkshire, we’re working towards creating a net zero carbon economy by 2038 at the latest and I want people in all communities to be able to feel the benefits this transition will bring.
“Our region has a high number of older, terraced homes which are harder to retrofit with energy saving measures that will cut carbon emissions, reduce heating bills and make a real difference to peoples’ lives.
“It’s vital that we invest in pilot schemes, such as the Retrofit Hub which, as well as making homes warmer and more efficient, will also help equip people with the skills and training they need to secure jobs in green careers of the future.”
WYCA will work in partnership with Manningham Housing Association with people living in terraced houses that were built before 1919 and are typically harder to heat and have higher than average carbon emissions.
A key part of the scheme will involve working with young people at school or college and older people looking to change careers to highlight the careers and job opportunities in areas, such as installing green technology and saving energy in buildings.
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