Council tenants to benefit from energy efficiency upgrade
Major improvements are set to be made to the energy efficiency of 100 council homes across the district after Lancaster City Council successfully secured £780,000 in government funding.
Samantha Kenyon at her home on Keswick Road
The council has been awarded the money from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (SHF) Wave 3, part of a drive to decarbonise housing, tackle fuel poverty, and improve living conditions in social housing.
The three-year programme will target council properties with poor energy performance, helping to reduce fuel bills, lower carbon emissions, and create warmer, healthier living environments for tenants.
Councillor Caroline Jackson, Leader of Lancaster City Council, said: “Over the last few years energy prices have rocketed to such an extent that all of us, and particularly people with illness and disability, are spending too high a proportion of our income just trying to keep warm.
“This funding will mean we can help our tenants to improve the warmth and comfort of their homes, reduce fuel bills, and at the same time we will make a positive contribution towards reducing carbon emissions.
“It’s another great example of the work being undertaken to improve people’s quality of life and making homes warmer, greener, and more affordable to run.”
The funding is part of a wider £48 million award to a consortium of 24 social housing providers, coordinated by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Combined with contributions from housing providers, the total investment stands at £95 million, aiming to upgrade more than 8,000 hard-to-heat homes across the region.
This success follows the successful delivery of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2.1, where the city council improved 105 homes between 2023 and 2025. Measures installed have included wall, loft and roof insulation, solar panels, efficient heating systems, and new windows and doors.
One of the tenants to benefit was Samantha Kenyon, whose home on Keswick Road in Lancaster has had external wall insulation and solar panels installed: "I'm looking forward to a drop in heating bills measured against last year,” she said.
"Internally, I can already feel the benefit without the heating being on as the home feels more comfortable throughout the day. The work carried out has been to a high standard and visually is so much more appealing and hard wearing compared to the old pebble dash style.”
Last updated: 24 October 2025