Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3
Grant Funding
Southend-on-Sea City Council have been awarded £3.48m through the government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 funding scheme. The council will match fund this amount, bringing the total to almost £7m.
The Project
We have secured funding to install ground-source heat pumps in 231 of our flats. These flats are located in the Balmoral tower blocks: Brecon, Blackdown, and Grampian. This exciting project will significantly reduce resident energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and improve the energy efficiency of our social housing stock.
Ground-source heat pumps use ambient heat from the ground to provide a low-carbon, energy-efficient way to heat homes and supply hot water. This will help residents by significantly lowering their energy bills. This also supports the city’s climate goals and the council’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards requirements.
Outcomes
The primary goal of this project is to reduce residents' energy bills. Energy bills are expected to decrease significantly after the installation of the ground-source heat pumps. We will use AICO gateway devices to independently evaluate energy use before and after installation, as we have done on previous projects.
Thurrock Council carried out a similar project previously. More details on their project and resident testimonials can be found on the Kensa website.
Timelines
We are currently in the design phase of the project. We started on-site in early 2026, with work expected to take a further 20 months. To stay up to date on this project, keep an eye on the dedicated page on the council's website.