CASH WINDFALL FOR ENERGY MEASURES

HOUSING chiefs are celebrating a cash windfall for a new insulation and central heating programme in Llanelli.

The County Council has secured £500,000 for the works in the Glanymor ward of the town.

Specialised wall insulation will be carried out at 62 homes which are unsuitable for cavity wall works.  New central heating boilers will be installed in 111 privately owned homes in the area. The measures will help tenants save hundreds of pounds on their heating bills.

The funding has been granted as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Arbed programme, which is aimed at making homes more energy efficient and stamping out fuel poverty. Housing officers say they are delighted with the grant, which will build on a huge energy saving project already being rolled out across the county.

Thousands of tenants are enjoying warmer homes thanks to the authority’s cavity wall and loft insulation scheme.  It forms part of the £200 million Carmarthenshire Homes Standard, which is improving the council’s housing stock. Works including new windows and doors, painting and rendering, garden improvements and upgrades to kitchens and bathrooms are being carried out. Latest figures show that in the past two years the insulation programme has exceeded its targets.

Some 94 per cent of council homes that are suitable have been provided with cavity wall insulation and 87 per cent with loft insulation.

Housing officers say the works are reducing heating costs by up to £400 a year, improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions in council homes.  There are also benefits for tenant’s health because cold conditions can lead to respiratory conditions and are also linked to depression and anxiety.

The council’s Head of Housing Services Robin Staines said: “We are delighted that the Arbed bid was successful and the funding will enable us to deliver external wall insulation and new boilers to many properties in the Glanymor area.

“Through the Homes Standard we are working to making sure that all homes are suitable for the households that live in them.

“Our energy efficiency measures are bringing major benefits to thousands of tenants.

“All the works in the Glanymor area will be carried out by March so the community will quickly start to see the benefit of this investment.”

The work in Glanymor will form the start of a new programme for homes which are hard to treat and are unsuitable for cavity wall insulation.  Housing Executive Board Member cllr Hugh Evans said: “I am very pleased that officers have secured this funding and they are to be commended for their efforts.

“The council is committed to providing the very best housing service for tenants and programmes like this are having a direct impact on the health of people living in the county.

“As well as the positive effect on health, it is having an impact on Carmarthenshire’s carbon use, and reducing heating costs for many.”