£3.6m energy improvement programme boosts efficiency of hundreds of homes

218 homes across Northumberland and County Durham have benefitted from a much-needed efficiency boost, as part of a government funded energy improvement programme. 

Delivered by northern housing association Karbon Homes, in partnership with RE:GEN North East, the programme has seen homes fitted with a range of energy saving measures, making them warmer, greener, and cheaper to run. 

Works have included external wall, cavity, loft, and underfloor insulation, new roofs, and solar PV panels. 24 of the homes are in the rural West Northumberland village of Ovington. 

Cheryl Mulholland is an Ovington resident whose home has benefitted from a number of improvements, including the installation of solar PV panels on the roof of her bungalow, external wall insulation, and a new air source heating system. 

Cheryl said: “I’ve had lots of work done and I’m really pleased with the results. You can really feel the improvement in the heat of the home, the bungalow feels a lot cosier.  

“My favourite element is the improvements it’s made to the aesthetic look, the outside looks much fresher and cleaner, and much smarter. Another bonus is it’s going to help reduce my bills, absorbing some of the hit from the price rises. 

“My experience with the team from Karbon and RE:GEN has been great. You couldn’t fault them, they’d keep you informed about what’s going on and would always get back to you if you had any questions or concerns.”

The programme was part funded by a grant from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, set up to help registered providers of social housing across the UK improve the energy performance of their homes. 

Sarah Robson, Executive Director of Development and Asset Management at Karbon Homes said: “This is the largest energy improvement programme we have carried out to date, which has significantly improved the efficiency of some of our lowest performing homes, bring them up from an EPC D & E to a minimum of EPC C. 

“As well as lowering the carbon footprint of the properties, it’s fantastic to hear such positive feedback from residents on what a difference the works have made to them. Lowering bills, improving the comfort of their homes and boosting their pride in where they live, to name a few. We look forward to delivering more programmes like this for more customers across our geography.” 

Jonathan Horner, Managing Director for RE:GEN North East, said: “It’s been fantastic to work with Karbon on this project—an organisation that shares our commitment to customer care. Hearing such positive feedback from customers is always rewarding; after all, that’s what it’s all about.  

“Ongoing engagement with residents throughout the works played a key role in the programme’s overall success. We’re proud to be the partner of choice for decarbonisation projects like this and look forward to improving many more homes with the Karbon team in the future.” 

As the 23/24 SHDF programme comes to completion, Karbon has secured further funding to deliver energy improvement works to more of its homes across the region. 

As part of a consortium of housing providers in the region, led by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Karbon has secured over £1.8m from the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. 

Added to the amount already committed to energy efficiency improvement works, this will see Karbon invest close to £13m on improving nearly 1000 lower performing homes over the next three years.