Hundreds of Liverpool City Region homes set for £5.5m solar panel boost
Hundreds of families living in social housing across the Liverpool City Region could benefit from new solar panels and battery storage under plans for a £5.5 million investment.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be asked to approve the funding when it meets on Friday, 25 September. The new Photovoltaic and Battery Fund would allow housing associations and other Registered Providers to install rooftop solar panels and battery storage in social homes, with funding available until August 2027.
More than 40 Registered Providers have already expressed an interest in accessing the fund, which is aimed particularly at households most at risk of fuel poverty.
The £5.5m investment forms part of a much wider programme to make homes across the city region warmer, more energy efficient and cheaper to run.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“At a time when local residents are rightly concerned about the cost of living, we want to help take some of the pressure off household bills. Over the last five years, we’ve invested more than £120 million in our communities to make homes warmer and cheaper to run, helping some of our most vulnerable families save hundreds of pounds on their energy bills.
“Through this pilot, we’ll open up the benefits of solar power to households who may previously have thought it was out of reach – helping families cut their energy costs while supporting our journey to net zero by 2035.
“Alongside this pilot, we’re continuing to invest millions of pounds in improving social housing and helping families to make their homes more energy efficient. We’re putting cleaner energy, warmer homes and lower bills within reach of the people who need them most – and doing our bit to save the planet in the process.”
A further £13.9m is being made available through the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund Integrated Settlement, extending support for social housing retrofit projects until March 2029.
Another £4.411m has been awarded through the same fund for Registered Providers in the Liverpool City Region consortium which also have homes outside the area.
Plans also include a £5m Plug-in Solar Pilot for owner-occupiers experiencing fuel poverty. That scheme, which is expected to be delivered by July 2027, is currently awaiting approval from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
A further £4.5m application for Warm Homes Local Grant funding is also being considered by the Government.
The Combined Authority is encouraging more housing associations and Registered Providers to join its retrofit consortium, giving more social housing tenants the opportunity to benefit from energy-saving improvements.
The programme is designed not only to reduce household energy bills and carbon emissions but also to deliver wider health benefits.
A study of the first 5,000 homes improved through the retrofit programme found that warmer homes could be saving the NHS an estimated £500,000 a year through fewer GP appointments and hospital admissions.
Investment in home improvements is also supporting businesses across the Liverpool City Region, with contracts awarded to companies including Wirral-based LMF, Knowsley-based Next Energy and Sefton-based Ecogee.
The work is helping to support green jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities across the region.
More than £120m has already been invested in energy-efficiency measures for around 12,000 homes across the Liverpool City Region.
The latest £5.5m solar and battery funding remains subject to approval by the Combined Authority on 25 September.
