A number of the houses in Leeds could be described as way beyond their ‘sell by date’. As such, they fall well below the acceptable standards that are required to achieve an adequate Energy Performance Certificate rating.
To help address the problem, a £13 million scheme has been approved by Leeds City Council to help reduce heating costs and reduce fuel poverty.
The scheme will apply to the 350 or more houses that have been identified for improvement in the Holbeck and Armley areas, and will help the city reach its 2030 net zero carbon emissions target.
The funding will be used initially to address disrepair in the homes, which a council report identifies as a mixture of private and social properties. It will then be put towards extensive energy-efficiency improvements to the fabric of the buildings, which will include external wall insulation and attic insulation, as well as replacement doors and windows where required.
The investment will be enabled by a mix of funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the council’s own Housing Revenue Account and the Home Upgrade Grant. The scheme will require a contribution from the householder (who will pay up to 25%) or landlord (who will pay 25%). The report recognises that the scheme’s success is based on owners of the properties, who will be required to sign up to the works their homes need. The majority of owners are private landlords.
Most of the houses are similar to those you will see in TV’s “Coronation Street”. The homes have party walls and are of back-to-back construction. They are typical of the thousands constructed during the Industrial Revolution, and were built for workers in many rapidly expanding towns all over the north of England.
This type of property is particularly difficult to upgrade, due to having been built with solid walls, with no cavity to help prevent damp ingress and little scope for improved standards of insulation. They are also unsuitable for low carbon heating methods, such as air source heat pumps.
Some of the housing stock is in a very poor state of repair and remedial action will be carried out prior to installing “basics” including double glazed windows and doors. Many residents are wondering if it is possible to upgrade homes to the required level. The properties may still be cold and damp after the work and many home owners would prefer to move to more modern accommodation.
According to the Labour-run council, the money is coming out of the Conservative government’s Levelling Up Fund, introduced in 2019. All parties are broadly in favour of the plans, albeit the opposition councillors would have liked a larger slice of the cake.