More than 900 Whitefriars and privately owned homes in Coventry are benefitting from a £9 million programme to reduce carbon emissions and make environmental improvements to communities.

Wates Living Space is completing a Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) Scheme, funded by British Gas and Whitefriars Housing, in Willenhall and Willenhall Wood, which is the largest of its kind in the West Midlands.

The Programme will see 922 Whitefriars Housing homes and a number of privately owned properties have energy-saving improvements fitted such as external wall insulation, replacement boilers and controls, double-glazing, solar photovoltaic panels, and additional loft insulation, as well as receiving home energy-saving packs. The work is due to finish in December 2012.

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It is estimated the improvements could save each property an average of £350 per year in fuel savings.

The Government’s CESP initiative was launched in 2009 to help cut bills by installing improvements such as solid wall insulation and other energy-saving measures in up to 90,000 properties nationally.

The programme in Coventry has also brought an employment and training boost by creating two six-week work placements for two students from City College and Sidney Stringer. They will survey people living in the CESP areas on their current energy bills and to find out how thermally efficient they think their homes are. This will be repeated in one and two years’ time to track the benefits of the programme.

Richard Osborne, director of property services for WM Housing, of which Whitefriars is a part, said: "As an affordable housing provider we are always looking at ways that we can work with our residents to help save money on their utility bills and reduce carbon emissions. This project is going to allow us to deliver significant benefits to the quality of homes and the environment for people living in Willenhall and Willenhall Wood.

"This investment is going to bring real gains to the community in fuel savings. The carbon reduction savings to be delivered are calculated at 140,000 tones and represent a significant contribution to the Council's carbon reduction target for the city."

(CD)