Energy-efficient neighbourhood scheme launches

A pilot project has been launched to make a neighbourhood in Wolverhampton more energy-efficient, with the results to be fed into a wider project for the city, the council says.

The authority has been given £545,502 by the West Midlands Combined Authority to trial measures on a "small cluster" of streets in Graiseley.

Residents will be given energy advice, retrofit assessments and supported with low-cost energy-saving improvements.

The findings of the pilot will lead to a model that can benefit the whole city – helping cut energy bills and make energy supplies more resilient, the council said.

The pilot neighbourhood includes Lime Street, Fisher Street, Bristol Street, Manlove Street, Cardiff Street and Bingley Street, and sections of Lea Road, Owen Road, Burleigh Road, Norfolk Road, and Merridale Street West.

The council will liaise with residents and businesses to investigate how measures such as home energy improvements, smart energy systems, active travel, community events and better green spaces can improve lives.

There will be a series of public events within the area that will be advertised in the coming weeks, the authority said.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for transport and green city at the council, said: "I am delighted we have secured this funding and am excited to see the opportunities and benefits it can bring and the lessons we can learn as part of our collaborative, city-wide Our Net Zero City 2041 efforts with communities and technical advisors.

"We want residents and businesses to be well informed and empowered to take climate action that can make a positive difference to their lives, and they will be at the centre of making this project a success."

The council's deputy leader councillor, Steve Evans, said the authority wanted to create neighbourhoods with more energy-efficient homes and reduce fuel poverty for vulnerable residents.

"The data-gathering phase of this trailblazing project will allow us to see how measures such as better insulation or rooftop solar panels and heat pumps could make a big difference to lives," he said.

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