People living in Henbury and Brentry, Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston are set to benefit from the new community-based Warm Homes retrofit programme.
Due to run from April 2025 to March 2028, the new place-based housing retrofit programme, in BS10 and BS11, aims to retrofit up to 1,000 properties across different tenures, including council-owned social housing and low-income owner-occupiers.
The Warm Homes Retrofit programme will improve the energy efficiency of the properties, make them warmer, lower utility bills, and contribute to a more sustainable future with lower carbon emissions. The programme is part of a wider Warm Homes Plan approved by the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee on the 4th of April 2025.
To be delivered in partnership with Bristol City Leap, the £25 million programme is part-funded by the government Warm Homes Social Housing Fund wave 3 grant, with match-funding from the council.
Alongside the funding for council-owned social housing, additional grant funding will be available for homeowners via the Warm Homes Local Grant Scheme.
The programme is the first time the council has adopted a neighbourhood-based approach to housing retrofit, enabling the council to retrofit at scale, on a ward-by-ward and street-by-street basis, maximising benefits to constituents and driving value for money.
Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, said: “A place-based programme of this size is a brilliant example of Bristol’s innovative approach to help decarbonise the city to achieve our climate goals, and help provide residents with warmer homes and lower energy bills. I’m sure you’ll join me in lending your full support to the programme, which is set to bring significant capital investment into the city and improve the lives of many of our residents.
“Although the funding isn’t as high as we’d initially hoped for, due to the programme being oversubscribed, this remains a great opportunity to combine our strategic action on climate, cold homes and community development to benefit those living in the coldest homes with the lowest EPC ratings.”
Works will include energy efficiency measures, such as loft, cavity wall and external wall insulation, and solar panels together with the installation of LED lighting, double glazing and ventilation measures. Gas boilers will be replaced by efficient electrically powered heat pumps in approximately 10% of properties.
Residents living in low-income areas will automatically qualify for the Warm Homes Local Grant Scheme, together with those on means-tested benefits or an income of less than £36k.
The Bristol Warm Home Retrofit programme is being delivered by the council in partnership with Bristol City Leap.
Mark Apsey MBE, Senior Vice President at Ameresco, said “heating and powering our homes has become increasingly costly amidst the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, particularly during winter. This challenge is pronounced for residents in buildings with poor insulation and older heating systems. That is why we are collaborating with Bristol City Council to prioritise retrofitting throughout the city. This initiative will not only cut energy bills but also ensure that homes are warmer and healthier for residents, whilst reducing their environmental impact.”
The council is committed to protecting those most impacted by the climate emergency. The retrofit programme gives residents the means to retrofit their homes, lifting them out of fuel poverty and provide a just transition, while fulfilling the overarching aim of the programme to help decarbonise the city.
Photo: Tusko
