Dozens of East Devon’s most vulnerable residents will be having full home refurbishments thanks to a £612,000 cash injection.

A ‘Fabric First’ upgrade of 50 council-owned properties is set to begin in the spring – this will include measures to help reduce carbon footprints and residents’ heating bills by investing in cavity walls and roof insulation, draught proofing and replacing windows.

It comes following a successful bid by East Devon District Council (EDDC) for a portion of the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

These are properties where the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) bandings is E and below and are predominantly one and two bedroom bungalows, offering sheltered accommodation and housing to some of our most vulnerable residents in the district, where residents typically pay above average heating bills.

The council will be using the ‘worst first’ and ‘lowest regret’ approach in proactively replacing heating systems with a predicted failure date in the near future.

Councillor Megan Armstrong, EDDC’s portfolio holder for sustainable homes and communities, said:

We have made significant efforts in the last couple of years to upgrade our properties to ensure that they are more energy efficient with our Green Homes Grant works.

This funding from the government and the council’s commitment to leading the way with upgrading some of our lowest EPC rated properties will help meet our climate change agenda.

The upgrade works to our properties will improve their thermal performance and ultimately enhance the lifestyle for our residents in their own homes.