Plans to help up around 700 Plymouth homes be better heated have taken a step closer, with an agreement designed to make it easier and simpler for the Council to source local contractors.
It’s a dry title – a dynamic purchasing system to procure energy efficiency improvement works – but a four-year concession agreement with the Independent Community Interest Company will help hundreds of people stay warm in their own homes, spend less money on fuel bills as well as be better for the planet.
The energy efficiency procurement system will allow the Council to work with local contractors to deliver specific thermal and energy efficient improvements such as cavity wall and loft insulation, solar photo-voltaic panels and air source heat pump installations to eligible homes.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Community said: “We are looking at significant funding in the next round of Warm Homes: Local Grant, which will enable us to fit measures to help hundreds of people stay warmer in their homes for less money as well as reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
“We can do all the legwork to access funding, but we need to make sure we have contractors available to carry out the work to a standard we expect.”
The Warm Homes: Local Grant comes from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and aims to deliver fully funded thermal improvements to at least 700 eligible low income and fuel poor households from next April.
The Council already has an existing and well-developed series of agreements with INCIC to provide adaptations, repairs and maintenance. These have been in place for over six years and have helped deliver improvements, especially through the Disabled Facilities Grant.
The Council wants to contract INCIC to set up and manage a system for the energy efficiency programme, which will secure correctly qualified and competent contractors to deliver a full range of energy efficiency retrofit measures. The community interest company also have a track record of offering training to contractors and developing strong links with local trades companies.
The agreement will increase accountability of grant spending, better management and oversight of contractor compliance as well as more consistent access to competent contractors and specialists.