£2 million project nets council nomination for energy efficiency award

Rugby Borough Council joined forces with energy firm E.ON to deliver the project, which secured a £1.086 million grant from the Government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

The council match-funded the Government grant to ensure the work could be carried out free of charge for tenants, with improvements focused chiefly on Wimpey No-Fines properties built in the Long Lawford and Rokeby wards in the 1950s.

To date, energy efficiency measures installed at the properties have cut energy bills by a total of £18,970, while the project looks set to cut household energy consumption by 558.152kWh.

Now, with a total of 112 properties set to benefit from the project before it ends next month, the council and E.ON have been nominated for the Regional Large Scale Project Award at the West Midlands Energy Efficiency Awards 2025.

Energy efficiency measures installed at the properties include external wall insulation, solar panels and 'top up' loft insulation.

The measures mean all properties included in the project now have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above, when previously all were rated D or below.

Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for communities and homes, regulation and safety, said the project formed part of the council's ongoing strategy to decarbonise its housing stock.

"We're committed to providing high quality, affordable council housing for our tenants and improving the energy efficiency of our existing housing stock means we can make homes cheaper to heat while supporting the council's wider work to combat climate change," Cllr Edwards added.

"We're delighted our work with E.ON, supported by a grant from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, has been recognised by the West Midlands Energy Efficiency Awards and we're looking to build on the project's success in the future."

Other nominations for the Regional Large Scale Project Award include Birmingham Airport and EvoEnergy's project to build a solar farm at the airport, and the West Midlands Combined Authority's work with Next Energy to tackle fuel poverty.

The West Midlands Energy Efficiency Awards take place at Kenilworth's Chesford Grange Hotel on Thursday 27 February.

Cllr Noreen New, Rugby Borough Council's Liberal Democrat spokesperson for communities and homes, regulation and safety, said: "Energy efficient homes make a real difference in terms of driving down the cost of running a home for our tenants and supporting the environment, so we welcome this project's success."