Housing association Plus Dane has secured £1m from the Government to make 100 homes in Liverpool city region and Cheshire more energy efficient in a £2.7m project. Tony McDonough reports

Tenants in Liverpool city region and Cheshire will enjoy lower fuel bills and emissions thanks to a £1m grant secured from the Government.

Housing association Plus Dane will use the cash to improve energy efficiency. It will be invested in a number of improvements such as external wall insulation and loft insulation as well as new and innovative technologies.

It is estimated that customers could see an average reduction in their heating bills of £315 per year as a result of the initiative. Plus Dane will be investing a further £1.7m to support the project as it works towards meeting national and regional targets to make its homes more energy efficient.

Chief operating officer Paul Knight said: “This investment comes at a time when many of our customers are struggling to afford to heat their homes so anything that we can do to make it easier for them to stay warm is welcomed.

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“We are also excited to be able to begin using some of the new technologies that will be essential to us meeting our carbon reduction targets in the future.”

Plus Dane was part of two consortia that were successful in securing funding with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority securing £11.1m to improve around 1,250 homes across the region, while Cheshire East Council will receive £1.6m to improve 162 homes.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool city region, added: “Families across our city region are bracing themselves for an incredibly turbulent time ahead, as soaring energy bills continue to threaten those most at risk of fuel poverty.

“Working with local housing associations like Plus Dane, we can ensure that every family has the right to heat their home without breaking the bank, and without impacting the environment too.

“By working with partners across the region, we have invested nearly £55m to improve the energy efficiency of more than 5,000 homes, cutting fuel bills and helping put money back in the pockets of thousands of our most disadvantaged households.”