York and North Yorkshire has high rates of fuel poverty – with around 15% of people in our region unable to afford to heat their homes.
The high costs of energy had become a real concern for Tony Smith who had to “ration” his heating to keep his family warm. But Mr Smith’s heating worries were soon over after his landlord Broadacres Housing Association – a member of the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership - installed solar panels and an air source heat pump at his home near Easingwold.
In just two weeks, the energy usage in Mr Smith’s home dropped by 35%.
Mr Smith said: “My family need heat for their health because both my wife and daughter have disabilities, and this is the first time in 11 years of living here that we have had luxurious warmth throughout the home.
“Previously we had night storage heaters and could only afford to warm the room we were actually in. We used to dread winter, but that worry has now gone forever.
“The entire process from start to finish was so smooth and efficient and we can’t thank Broadacres enough. Our home was already the finest place we have ever lived in. We have always woken up each day and pinched ourselves and now it’s even better!”
As housing associations, we have a strong commitment to reducing carbon emissions and meeting our region’s net zero targets.
At a time when the cost of living is still high, retrofit and green heating solutions have an important role to play in alleviating fuel poverty – and this is a key part of our partnership's offer to work with the new mayor for York and North Yorkshire.
It’s vital that there is a focus on delivering green, sustainable and low carbon homes that are affordable to buy or rent as well as affordable to live in. As part of a move to a greener region, we can work together to support the ongoing need to get residents on board with this journey to net zero.
Helen Ball, Broadacres’ senior sustainability manager, added: “We are making great strides towards achieving our net zero targets although we are not resting on our laurels and are constantly looking at ways to further accelerate our programme.
“Ultimately, we want all our customers to live in an energy efficient home which is warm and comfortable and receiving such positive feedback like this from people like Mr Smith validates our approach.”