Hundreds of terraced houses could have heating and insulation upgrades in test expansions
The houses in Rossendale could get new heating technology and better insulation
Hundreds of terraced houses in Rossendale could get new heating technology and better insulation, building on previous small-scale home energy schemes in Rawtenstall and Bacup.
Rossendale Council is being recommended to join a larger project called ‘NetZero Terrace Streets: From Demonstrator to Scale’ and could become the lead partner, based on its work so far, according to a report for its cabinet.
Other organisations proposed for the scheme included Rossendale Valley Energy, a community-owned renewable energy group; and the Looped Energy community interest company in Bacup. The scheme will also involve homes in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and Bridgend, in South Wales.
Previously, Rossendale Council has worked with Rossendale Valley Energy on some small schemes on three Victorian terraced houses in Rawtenstall and Bacup. The houses had heat pump systems fitted and other improvements.
Separately, Rossendale Valley Energy is involved with other projects, including solar energy. These include a plan to fit almost 900 solar panels on the roof of the Interfloor factory in Haslingden. An investment campaign for that runs until late November.
Regarding terraced houses, Rossendale Council’s cabinet is now being asked to join a new, bigger home energy scheme, and accept a £51,000 grant from an organisation called Innovate UK to help deliver it. Rossendale’s allocation would cover management, oversight, and sub-contracted technical services. No council contribution is needed. Overall, a total £150,000 is proposed for the various organisations involved.
An officers’ report for the cabinet says the project represents strong value for money for Rossendale. It would bring £51,000 directly to the council, plus wider benefits from the £150,000 scheme and links to partners nationwide at no extra cost.
The report for the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, October 22, adds: “This funding will allow the council to build directly on the current Net Zero Terrace
Streets demonstrator project, which developed methods and tested them through installing ‘retrofit’ measures and ground source heat pumps in three Rossendale homes. This work positioned the borough nationally as a leader in addressing the de-carbonisation of terraced housing.
“The new project will apply the methods on a larger scale, by testing the viability of up to 200-home clusters in Rossendale, Rochdale, and Bridgend in Wales. Detailed surveys will be carried out on a sample of homes to establish local types and create financially-costed retrofit options. This will allow governance, finance, and planning factors to be validated at cluster-level, strengthening the case for future public and private investment.”
If the cabinet agrees, Rossendale Council will act as the ‘lead partner’ and accountable body, with support by Rossendale Valley Energy, Looped Energy Communities in Bacup, Challoch Energy in Wales, engineers Buro Happold and Abundance Investment, which supports renewable energy developments. Each organisation will be responsible for its own allocation of funding, with Innovate UK paying each partner directly.
The work come against a backdrop of factors including emissions and climate change, rising energy costs and utility bills, poorly insulated-houses and the challenges of making old terraced houses better-suited to modern needs.