£1m extra to make more homes warmer

Scores of extra Bernicia homes are benefitting from new energy efficiency upgrades thanks to more Government funding.

Bernicia has received an extra £500,000 from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund which we are matching, meaning £1m in total is being invested into a further 150 homes to make them warmer for tenants and help cut their household fuel bills.

This work is on top of more than 1,100 homes already upgraded by our delivery partner 0800 Repair in earlier waves of the fund over the past three years in a joint Bernicia/Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund investment of nearly £10m.

The funding was secured by the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub which will enable Bernicia and Believe Housing to accelerate improvements to 489 homes by the end of this financial year thanks to a total of £2.6m in additional funding.

Alan and Pauline Warnaby are enjoying the benefits of an air source heat pump, new radiators, loft insulation and solar panels on the roof of their Seahouses bungalow.

0800 Repair has just upgraded their property, replacing a log burner and inefficient electric storage heaters with state-of-the-art technology, making their home of 15 years the warmest it’s ever been.

Retiring to Seahouses was a long held dream for the couple originally from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, who enjoyed family caravan holidays on the Northumberland coast with their children and grandchildren.

“We love it here, it was like winning the lottery getting this house,” said retired joiner Alan, 83.

“It’s a lot warmer in our home now, the workmanship from Bernicia was spot on and we’re very happy and very pleased with the work we’ve had done.”

A warmer home is vital for Pauline, 80, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis which is badly affected by cold weather.

Pauline said: “The lads were really good with the workmanship and they’ve been back twice to make sure that everything’s okay with the new heating.

“I was a bit sceptical at first. But it’s really easy to operate, there’s a panel in the hall where you just tap onto the temperature you want. When you wake up in the morning it’s the temperature you want in the house which is ideal.”

Bernicia Assistant Director of Assets, Ryan Irving Carr, said: “Bernicia has a significant number of homes in rural areas and we’ve made great strides in delivering for these customers. In Seahouses, we’ve upgraded 56 homes fitting air source heat pumps and solar PV, replacing old electric storage heaters.”

The North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub is part of a network across England funded by Government to support local areas and communities to develop and deliver energy projects.