Plans to decarbonise Sheffield involves providing 70% of council homes with solar panels.
Sheffield City Council has approved a 2025-26 housing decarbonation plan which prioritises renewable green energy, local funds and grants.
Nathan Robinson, housing decarbonation manager for Sheffield City Council, said the evidence based action plan will have a positive impact on both the environment and also energy costs.
He said: “It’s not just about decarbonising homes but it is fundamentally intertwined with tackling the seriousness of fuel poverty within the city.”
According to the Energy Savings Trust, installing solar PV panels can lead to average annual savings of around £450 to £630 per home.
This means that 70% of the Council’s housing stock could prevent around 39,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere every year.
This would contribute to the estimated annual £14.3m in energy savings.
Mr Robinson went on to explain that as a council they have aspirations for all council homes to reach an energy performance rating of C by 2030.
This certification assesses a home’s energy efficiency on a scale from A to G, with C meaning that energy efficient methods have been used to reduce your carbon footprint.
Councillor Paul Turpin, said: “It’s an excellent report and the list of initiatives is really impressive.”
However, he expressed concern about the wider decarbonisation plan, particularly regarding the installation of heat pumps.
The installation of heat pumps can be controversial as they may consume more electricity in poorly insulated buildings and are only efficient if powered by renewable energy.
Councillor Paul Turpin, said: ”We don’t want to try our best to reduce carbon and end up increasing it.”
A project plan has been developed, which includes a research phase, supply chain discussions and a GIS data review to assess orientation and positioning of roofs.
A series of workshops are set to take place throughout April and May with senior housing leaders and relevant stakeholders in order to create a recommendations paper in July.
The council wishes to implement a series of pilots immediately after the paper is reviewed at the Housing Policy Committee.
