Clean energy and Environmental Resilience

To ensure long term economic resilience and success, West Yorkshire needs to plan for and manage future climate change impacts. Green Infrastructure can assist with this and help to attract and retain investment, skilled people and tourism.

Programme overview

We will apply a low carbon and sustainable approach in everything we do. As a leader in low carbon, we will exploit new economic opportunities with potentially huge global market opportunities. Our businesses will be highly efficient in their use of energy and resources, allowing them to de-couple growth from carbon emissions and pollution.

Poor air quality and fuel poverty will be a thing of the past – homes will be well-insulated, while efficient energy generation, usage and smart networks will ensure everyone is actively in control of their energy consumption. We will not just have maintained and enhanced our already beautiful landscape, but will have found innovative new ways to work with it.

Projects within this programme

Browse the different projects within this programme by opening and closing the tabs below.

Business Sustainability Package

Project overview

Businesses are facing a significant number of challenges relating to the net zero agenda including:

  • The rapid rise in energy and fuel costs and general price instability
  • Lack of energy resilience
  • Pressure from major customers passing on net zero obligations
  • Impending and future legislation impacts
  • Consumer pressure on green issues, for example plastics and food miles
  • Competing priorities, especially as businesses recover from the impacts of Covid-19 and adjust to leaving the European Union.

Business sustainability support aims to provide simplified, consistent, and impartial support to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within West Yorkshire. It will act as a catalyst to help them to plan for net zero and become climate ready, so they become more resilient to the effects of climate change. Support is designed to help SMEs measure their carbon impacts and climate readiness, plan improvements and act on these plans to reduce their environmental impact.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area West Yorkshire
Business case summary Link here
Funding

Gainshare - £10.597m
SME match - £9.250m

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates April 2023 - March 2026
Delivery partners None
Other funders

None

Get in touch businesssupport@the-lep.com

Last updated Quarter 4 2022/2023

Clean Bus Technology Fund

Project overview

Research by Public Health England has identified that almost 1,000 premature deaths each year are as a result of air pollution, with a significant source being road transport that is accountable for over 60% of local roadside emissions.

Across West Yorkshire there are 28 declared Air Quality Management Areas due to the annual NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) exceedance. This project aims to reduce the amount of NOx by retrofitting accredited emission control technology onto 471 older buses across West Yorkshire to significantly improve tailpipe emissions.

The project will benefit approximately 1/3rd of West Yorkshire bus fleet and ensure vehicles are compliant with Leeds City Council’s Clean Air Charging Zone.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District / Area West Yorkshire
Business case summary Link Here
Funding

DEFRA - £7.186 million

LPTIP - £850k

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates 2018 - 31 March 2020
Delivery partners Leeds City Council, DEFRA, West Yorkshire Bus Operators
Get in touch  TransportProjects@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

Last updated in Quarter 1 2023

Community Renewal Fund and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

Project overview

Using the PAS 2035 framework, social housing will be surveyed and a design created for each home to enhance energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions.

Through the Social Housing Decarbonisation und (SHDF)  Wave 1,  up to 1000 homes in the Leeds City Region will benefit from energy efficiency measures such as insulation, new doors and windows and some will receive new renewable energy systems.

The work will be completed through a partnership between the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and 10 Social Housing partners who will invest an additional £5m into the scheme. The SHDF programme was established by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, now the Energy Security and Net Zero Department The partners are: Accent, Chartford, Connect, Incommunities, Kirklees Council, Manningham, Stonewater, Together, Wakefield District Housing and Yorkshire Housing.

Over a period of 11 months from January 2021 to November 2021, the CRF Retrofit Project, delivered in partnership with Manningham Housing Association (MHA), engaged with least 100 residents/householders in Manningham and Toller Ward Bradford, West Yorkshire  to understand how much energy each house uses, and how easy/hard it is to keep homes warm and comfortable. Residents were provided with a free retrofit survey, which resulted in a whole house retrofit plan being developed for each property, which detailed what improvements residents can make to improve the thermal performance of their properties and reduce their fuel bills. Residents were also provided with advice on the immediate everyday changes they can make to help make their homes warmer. This was delivered by EEC Energy Efficiency Consultants (Ltd).

The Retrofit Hub scheme created an online resource which provides information and guidance to young learners on the climate emergency target, and what jobs there are in the Green Economy to encourage young people to consider taking up roles in the construction, energy and retrofit industry

The scheme also provided free training to provide adult learners with the skills needed to work in the green sector which includes jobs in retrofitting buildings, sustainability, energy efficiency and much more

‘The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme for 2021/22. This aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District / Area Leeds City region
Business case summary Link Here
Funding Community Renewal Fund (£0.47m) and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (£5.06m)
Project Status

SHDF : Activity 6: Delivery

CRF: Activity 7 Review and Closure

Start and end dates

CRF: January to November 2022

SHDF:  April 2022  to March 2023- extended to September 2023

Delivery partners Accent, Chartford, Connect, Incommunities, Kirklees Council, Manningham Housing Association, Stonewater, Together, Wakefield District Housing and Yorkshire Housing.
Get in touch 

CustomerFeedback@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

Last updated in Quarter 4 2022/23

Energy Accelerator

Project overview

The Energy Accelerator is the only programme of its kind anywhere in the UK and is funded by the Leeds City Region Growth Deal and the European Investment Bank’s European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) programme.

It offered support and funding for low-carbon projects in Leeds City Region, enabling at least £120 million worth of capital investment and helping the City Region achieve our aim of being a net zero carbon economy by 2038 at the latest.

It also provided technical, commercial and legal services to the public, private, academic and community sectors to develop low carbon projects in four key sectors:

  • the installation of commercial and domestic retrofit technologies onto buildings that will improve energy efficiency, decrease energy demand and/or use renewable energy
  • integration of renewable energy sources into buildings such as solar thermal collectors and biomass
  • upgrading street lighting and traffic signals
  • renovating, extending or building new district heat and cooling networks using renewable heat sources to reduce carbon emissions and increase carbon efficiency.

 

Eligibility criteria

  • Minimum project value of £150,000
    (if less, projects could potentially be aggregated with other similar smaller projects)
  • Must reach Point of Delivery 31st July 2021
  • Every £1 of Energy Accelerator support must leverage at least £20 capital investment

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District / Area Leeds City Region
Funding

3.5 million Euro from European Investment Bank

Project Status Activity 7: Closed
Start and end dates September 2018 – August 2021
Delivery partners None
Other funders

£0.820 million Leeds City Region Growth Fund

Get in touch No longer live

Last updated in Quarter 1 2022/2023

Energy Price Emergency Grants

Project overview

Approval of the Energy Price Crisis Emergency Business Grants Programme, part of the Climate and Environment plan (CEP)’s Business Sustainability Package to provide immediate support to businesses with the cost-of-living crisis (£1,100,000).

CEP Wave 1 will help enable and support wider work to address the Climate Emergency through the delivery of measures that:

  • Tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions from housing through domestic energy efficient retrofits.
  • Reduce emissions through business sustainability packages, building enhancements to reduce heat loss and increasing green energy through solar.
  • Encourage people and businesses to lower their own carbon emissions and make positive changes.
  • Build climate resilience through investment in natural flood defences, neighbourhood led interventions and making businesses more resilient.
  • Support investment in teaching and learning resources, curriculum enhancements and support individuals to access green jobs and skills.
  • Support communities through a community grants programme, so they are better able to contribute to net zero.


Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area West Yorkshire
Business case summary Link here
Funding

Gainshare £1.1m
SME match - £1.0m

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates December 2022 - June 2023
Delivery partners None
Other funders

None

Get in touch businesssupport@the-lep.com

Last updated Quarter 4 2022/23

Leeds PIPES

Project overview

The Leeds PIPES Network, part-funded by the Growth Deal, will bring low carbon, lower cost heating and hot water to the city of Leeds, while also cutting 22,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

 The ‘PIPES’ programme uses super-insulated steel pipes  to connect the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF) in the Aire Valley to customers across the City of Leeds. Heat will be extracted from the centre as steam which will then be used to transfer heat to the heat network and into people’s homes.

Council housing tenants will be the first to benefit as we continue work to make the City Region a resilient zero carbon energy economy.

 

Project Lead Leeds City Council
District / Area Leeds
Business case summary Link here
Funding

£4 million Leeds City Region Growth Deal + LCC match funding

The Housing project has also secured ESIF

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates 2017- March 2020
Delivery partners Vital Energi
Other funders

Leeds City Council

ESIF

Get in touch Polly Cook

Last updated Quarter 4 2019/2020

Resource Efficient Business (REBiz) programme

We provided advice and grants of up to £40,000 to small and medium-sized businesses in Leeds City Region and parts of York and North Yorkshire to help them lower their energy use, introduce circular economy principles and reduce water and waste costs.

We provided support and guidance to 375 firms, and helped 120 firms save money and resources by tackling the barriers that business owners face in reducing costs related to energy, water and waste.

Overall, we helped businesses to save over £1 million, 1 million kWh of energy, and 2780 tonnes of carbon a year, whilst working towards our aim to be a zero-carbon energy economy by 2038.

REBiz (Resource Efficiency Fund 2) was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area Leeds City Region (not Barnsley) and some of York and North Yorkshire LEP
Funding

£561,000 Leeds City Region Growth Deal + Get Building Fund

£41,000 York and North Yorkshire Growth Deal

£2.2 million European Regional Development Fund

£1.91 million private sector

Project Status Activity 7: Close
Start and end dates 2020-2023
Delivery partners None
Get in touch businesssupport@the-lep.com

Last updated in Quarter 2 2023/24

Resource Efficiency Fund

Project overview

We provide advice and grants of up to £10,000 to small and medium-sized businesses in Leeds City Region (not Barnsley) to help them lower their carbon footprint, energy use and water and waste costs.

Coordinated through our Resource Efficiency Fund, we are aiming to help at least 300 firms save money and resources by tackling the barriers that business owners face in reducing costs related to energy, water and waste. Overall, we want to help businesses to save nearly £500,000, 1 million kWh of energy, and over 3,000 tonnes of carbon a year, while also helping us in our aim to be a zero-carbon energy economy by 2036.

The Resource Efficiency Fund is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area Leeds City Region (not Barnsley)
Business case summary Link here
Funding

£1.98 million Leeds City Region Growth Deal + European Regional Development Fund investment

Project Status Activity 7: Close
Start and end dates 2016- 2020
Delivery partners Leeds City Council
Other funders

£1.14 million European Regional Development Fund

£0.8 million private sector

Resource Efficiency Fund
Summative Assessment Report

Link here 

Last updated Quarter 4 2022/23

Tackling Fuel Poverty

Project overview

We’re helped 1,446 households across West Yorkshire, Craven, Harrogate, Selby and York lower their energy bills and heat their homes more efficiently through our Growth Deal-funded Tackling Fuel Poverty programme.

We’ve invested £5.7 million into the scheme to improve insulation and heating in homes in Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York.

Over the next 42 years, it is estimated that households under the scheme will save almost £13.2 million combined in heating bills or almost £222 per household, per year on average.

In addition to money and carbon savings have been calculated for a reduction of 41,749 tonnes over the lifetime of the measures; the equivalent of taking almost 22,000 cars off the roads. 228 jobs and 8 apprenticeships within the local supply chain have also been supported.

The Tackling Fuel Poverty Programme and related projects are delivered through Better Homes Yorkshire, the only Council backed energy efficiency and heating provider in the Leeds City Region.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area West Yorkshire, Craven, Harrogate, Selby and York
Business case summary Link here
Funding

£5.669 million Leeds City Region Growth Deal

Project Status Completed
Start and end dates June 2016 – March 2019
Delivery partners Engie Regeneration through the Better Homes Yorkshire programme
Other funders Customer contributions, Council match, EON are providing Energy Company Obligation funding
Get in touch

0800 597 1500

Vicky Dumbrell

Last updated in Quarter 4 2019/2020

Warm Homes

Project overview

Our Warm Homes programme will help more than 700 households across Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York lower their fuel bills and keep their homes warm.

Funded through the the programme will install gas-fired central heating systems and gas connections in eligible privately-owned and privately-rented homes in Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield and York as well as eligible council housing properties in Leeds.

The scheme is being funded through the £150m National Grid Affordable Warmth Solutions Warm Homes Fund (£1.6m), along with partner councils, EON, Northern Gas Networks, and private landlords.

 

Project Lead Better Homes Yorkshire
District/ Area West Yorkshire, Craven, Harrogate, Selby and York.
Business case summary Link here
Funding

National Grid Warm Homes Fund (£1.6 million)

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates January 2018 – November 2019
Delivery partners Engie Regeneration through the Better Homes Yorkshire programme, and Housing Leeds part of Leeds City Council
Other funders Local authorities, EON, Northern Gas Networks, Housing Leeds and private landlords
Get in touch

Better Homes Yorkshire -

0800 597 1500

Last updated in Quarter 4 2019/2020

ULEV Taxi Scheme

Project overview

Taxis (hackney carriage and private hire vehicles (PHV)) in West Yorkshire are predominantly diesel cars or vans with an average vehicle age of 6.5 years. The majority of journeys are within town and city centres and therefore contribute to local air pollution issues.

This ULEV Taxi Scheme will support the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s commitment to make West Yorkshire a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.

Each two-bay charge point comprises one bay exclusively for taxi and private hire vehicle to encourage taxi and private hire drivers to convert from diesel to electric vehicles. The charge points are being rolled out from August 2019 and are free to use until 29th October 2021.

 

Project Lead West Yorkshire Combined Authority
District/ Area West Yorkshire
Business case summary Link Here
Funding

OLEV - £1.98 million LTP - £1.2 million

Project Status Activity 6: Delivery
Start and end dates 2018 - 2023
Delivery partners Calderdale Council, Bradford Council, Kirklees Council, Leeds Council & Wakefield Council
Get in touch TransportProjects@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

Last updated in Quarter 1 2023/24

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