A £7.7 million project to make energy efficient improvements to council houses in Milton Keynes has been praised by energy and climate change minister, Greg Barker.

The Lakes Estate in Bletchley comprises 500 terraced houses and bungalows from the 1960s which are owned by Milton Keynes Council. Each will receive a £20,000 makeover to reduce energy leakage and allow residents to heat their homes for less.

Energy efficient housing improvements

The improvements include new double glazing, boiler replacement, wall insulation and external wall cladding. The properties will also be fitted with ‘warm’ flat roofs. The refurb takes around 6-8 weeks per home but should benefit residents come winter time, says itv.com.

The enhancements, naturally, should benefit the environment too, reducing the amount of carbon emitted by residents.

Making homes more efficient and energy saving

Mr Barker visited the estate and told miltonkeynes.co.uk he was impressed with the progress so far. Giving the scheme a ‘thumbs up’, he said:

“The project is really encouraging. It brings a sense of pride to the estate and to the people who live here.”

“Some of the people here are desperate for the improvements to make their homes much more efficient and energy saving, which will ultimately be money saving too.”

Green Deal home improvements

It is hoped that through the Green Deal, private homeowners in the city will similarly be able to take advantage of the same improvements via low cost loans.

Author: Elizabeth Smythe   Date Written: 23 Sept 2012