The government has launched its £3bn Green Homes Grant scheme aimed at boosting the energy efficiency of homes, with a £50m pot set aside to retrofit council homes.

The funds will retrofit around 2,200 social homes with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or below to help cut energy bills, including floor/wall insulation and low-carbon heating.

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator is open to local authorities for their retained social housing stock, or for former council homes transferred to housing associations. The funds will be distributed in “late 2020”, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

The remainder if the fund will be used for upgrading schools and hospitals across England. It is part of efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.