03
Apr
Harrogate climate group completes energy efficient buildings project
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Environmental charity Zero Carbon Harrogate has completed a project aimed at making buildings more energy efficient.
The organisation, which promotes a low carbon sustainable economy in the Harrogate district, was awarded the £234,000 in funding from both Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to launch the scheme.
It involved promoting energy efficiency and sustainable building practices across North Yorkshire.
The scheme, which came to end on March 31, saw a retrofit training and engagement programme launched, which helped to train individuals as retrofit assessors and coordinators, as well as upskill building trades in high-performance building practices.
One of the workshops.
The charity said it funded 153 people to train across renewables and retrofit, including retrofit assessors/coordinators, ASHP installers and builders.
Meanwhile, a Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) Programme, which was sponsored by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, was also introduced to further expand training opportunities.
The initiative aimed to broaden the scope of professional development by welcoming new entrants into the retrofit industry and delivering whole-house retrofit plans in selected test areas.
John Kerr, retrofit programme manager at Zero Carbon Harrogate, said the scheme had sparked “positive change”.
He said:
Working on these programmes has been a remarkable journey.
Our workshops, training sessions, and collaborative projects have sparked positive change among local trades and householders alike. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our efforts translate into measurable progress in the retrofit movement. Although we were unable to secure bridging funding to continue the programmes, our achievements have laid a strong foundation for future initiatives.
Jemima Parker, chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, added:
We are indebted to John Kerr, ZCH retrofit project manager, who has led on our retrofit project for nearly three years.
John has creatively navigated the many challenges to bringing change in the local building industry, successfully enabling retrofit training for local practitioners and raising awareness for homeowners and landlords. His work leaves the Harrogate area better equipped to make our homes warmer and cut carbon emissions.
The organisation said it was now “actively exploring future funding opportunities” to continue supporting householders in making their homes more energy efficient, healthier, and lower carbon.
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