Green Home Grant Support

Local Gov't • Watford

Watford Council is helping residents to create warmer, more energy-efficient homes while tackling fuel poverty.

  • Completed insulation works on a traditional brick home.
  • Close up of completed finish on a local home.
  • Completed energy efficiency works on another local property.

Watford Borough Council's metrics

Watford Borough Council has ambitious plans to reach net-zero carbon by 2030. A large proportion of local emissions are from housing – much of which is older property stock – so we embarked on a whole-house approach to carbon reduction that would also help to reduce fuel poverty and improve the wellbeing of our residents.

Fuel poverty is a significant issue across the borough and cold homes exacerbate many health conditions and can even cause winter deaths. By insulating housing stock, we can reduce the burden on health care services and enable residents to live in warmer spaces that help support their health.

We offer grants and loans to implement residential energy efficiency measures and to create warmer and more comfortable homes. Works can include external wall, underfloor, and roof insulation, as well as smart heating controls and solar panels. The scheme is supported by government funding initiatives which we combine to allow us to reach and support as many people in our community as possible.

Initially, we focused outreach on a target area that had many of the same types of homes and where we knew we could make an immediate impact on energy efficiency. We carried out mail drops and marketing across the neighbourhood to connect with local residents. These were historic homes, with many features and brick detailing, so it was important to not only implement carbon reduction measures but to maintain the traditional look of the houses.

Watford Council partners with a fuel poverty charity called Better Housing Better Health, run by the National Energy Foundation, to manage the scheme. They offer a range of additional services to households, including free debt advice, application support, fuel switching, and information on other grants or schemes that residents may also be able to access.

Initial feedback from residents has been very positive, with most noticing an immediate difference in warmth and energy efficiency of their properties. The scheme has now been extended across Watford and we are committed to supporting as many households as possible to reduce carbon emissions and improve the wellbeing of our community.

Useful learnings from Watford Borough Council

Don't overlook marketing – Marketing is crucial in reaching as many residents as possible. We combined the messaging and target areas of multiple government grants to deliver maximum exposure and generate substantial leads. We found direct mail drops to be very effective.

Develop local partnerships – Our partnership with Better Housing Better Health and local experts and contractors has been crucial in delivering the scheme successfully.

Understand your housing stock – When you're working on similar homes across an area it's important to learn lessons on what works in the same types of houses so these can be applied at scale.

Watford Borough Council's metrics

Number of properties insulated across the area.
Reduction in carbon emissions.

Feeling inspired? Discover more about this story...

Location

Watford

Response to climate crisis

Mitigation & Adaptation

Reach

Town

Organisation

Local Gov't, 250 to 10,000 people

Shared by

Greater South East Net Zero Hub

Updated Feb, 2024

Recommended for you

  • Canopy Housing
    Leeds

    Canopy Housing

    Providing housing, training and green-building skills through a retrofit programme in Leeds.

    Buildings & Places
  • Slow The Flow Calderdale
    Calderdale

    Slow The Flow Calderdale

    Advancing public education in nature-based methods of managing flooding.

    Buildings & Places
  • The Commitment
    UK

    The Commitment

    Speeding up government action on the climate and nature by collecting 'Commitments' from the public.

    Buildings & Places
  • Young Green Briton Challenge
    UK

    Young Green Briton Challenge

    Building knowledge, skills and opportunities for green change-making in schools.

    Buildings & Places