Environmental charity Zero Carbon Harrogate has received a grant of £125,422 to make buildings more energy efficient.
The organisation, which promotes a low carbon sustainable economy in the Harrogate district, was awarded the funding this week from energy regulator Ofgem‘s energy redress scheme.
The scheme, which collects money volunteered by energy companies who may have breached Ofgem rules, has awarded over £34 million to nearly 200 organisations since 2018.
In this latest funding round, Ofgem said it focused on projects that would relieve the ongoing energy crisis, choosing “new initiatives that support vulnerable households with energy bills and projects that will help homes reduce their long-term household carbon emissions”.
Zero Carbon Harrogate’s award will go towards its retrofit training and engagement programme, which aims to reduce the climate impact from domestic energy use in the Harrogate district by accelerating the delivery of local retrofit services.
It will improve the accessibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy services for local households by addressing issues with both supply and demand for retrofit services.
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In a statement on Twitter, Zero Carbon Harrogate said:
“We are absolutely delighted to secure this funding and we’re really excited to deliver our retrofit project to the Harrogate district.”
How retrofitting helps buildings
Zero Carbon Harrogate has previously run a retrofit awareness event in collaboration with Harrogate College and subsidised the college’s Foundations of Eco-Retrofit course.
Buildings make up 17% of UK emissions, and retrofitting homes by adding insulation, reducing draughts, and installing heat pumps can reduce energy consumption by up to 80%.
Graham Ayling, senior project manager for the energy redress scheme, said:
“The latest round of grant funding comes at a crucial time, with UK households facing exceptional rises in energy costs, alongside the ongoing climate emergency.
“National and regional charities have a key role on the frontline, particularly in supporting those most at risk from high energy prices and in ensuring that the transition to zero carbon energy happens quickly, sustainably and leaves no-one behind. These funds will support more charities to do just that.”