More than 12,000 homes in Leeds can benefit from a new scheme which will see 11 local authorities coming together to bring energy efficiency technology to a number of residents.
It has been suggested that the Leeds City Region scheme will create 600 jobs in the next three years, in addition to supporting up to 24,000 direct supply chain jobs over the next 25 years.
The £100 million scheme will help to reduce the carbon emissions for the city as a whole, in addition to cutting energy bills for thousands of residents.
An event has been planned, at which local, small construction companies can discover the part they can play in the installation of measures such as solar panels, insulation, double-glazingand energy efficiency boilers. This is set to take place in the White Rose Conference Centre in Leeds on April 29th.
Leeds City Region lead on the Green Deal Mehboob Khan, has said that the council are aiming to tackle fuel poverty, reduce health inequalities and create jobs.
“Our scheme will be the largest in the country and our residents will be able to get a much better deal due to the economies of scale we are going to achieve by working collectively,” Mr Khan said.
He added that the scheme is an “effective way” that householders can access energy-efficient improvements.
“No householder should be worse off financially and the charge is attached to the electricity meter, paid through the electricity bill and remains with the house if it is sold or re-let. Successive occupiers therefore pay for and have the benefit of the works carried out," he added.
Leeds was one of the areas particularly affected by the unseasonably cold March weather, leaving a number of families using more energy and spending more on bills than they had originally bargained for.
Schemes like this however are intended to cut down on the number of people worried about the cost of their energy bills, allowing them to heat their houses more efficiently without an excess use of gas.