New £5m fund to encourage more energy-efficient home improvements across Nottingham
Retrofitted homes in Nottingham
By Latifa Yedroudj, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham is being given £5 million to train workers on how to fit homes with energy-efficient measures.
The Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has awarded the cash for a skills training programme.
The funding will go towards a programme to upskill workers in Nottingham to retrofit homes by installing low-carbon heating systems, to make them more energy efficient.
Retrofitting involves installing better insulation, ventilation, solar panels and heat pumps to reduce energy consumption.
Nottingham City Homes was the first housing association in the UK to pilot net-zero retrofits back in 2017, and hundreds of social houses have since been retrofitted.
This scheme is a continuation of a previous retrofitting programme that was run by the Hub and the Energy Services Division from April 2023 to March 2025.
The new scheme was approved by Nottingham City Council in a delegated decision this month.
Now, workers can receive up to £500 grants to help them reskill in the installation of energy-efficient heat networks.
Documents read: “The grant funding to continue the running of a skills training competition to award grants of up to £500 to trainees through training provider organisations to up-skill and/or re-skill so that they can install low carbon heating and heat networks, to facilitate Government retrofit and heat decarbonisation programmes.”
Council delegated decision documents say eight per cent of the £5 million will be allocated to the authority’s Hub and Energy Services Division to design, deliver and monitor the cash.
The Hub will generate revenue through the agreed management fee of £40,000 and create jobs across the region.
Training provider organisations will help train heating installers and construction workers so they can gain relevant skills for the future, and will distribute the £500 grant funding to each of their students.
The money will be delegated to the Midlands Net Zero Hub, hosted by the City Council.
These Hubs are designed to drive investment in decarbonisation initiatives, helping to boost both the quantity and quality of low-carbon projects across the country.
Documents add: “[The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero] is committed to delivering support to enable the Government’s retrofit and low carbon heat initiatives to be both an economic stimulus and contributor to the UK’s carbon net-zero ambitions.
“This funding will be managed by the Midlands Net Zero Hub, within the council’s Energy Services Division, enabling training provision across the region in support of the low-carbon economy.”
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