The government’s Warm Homes Plan is a golden opportunity. London is ready to seize it

By harnessing the government’s pledged investment, we can upgrade homes citywide – cutting energy bills, creating thousands of skilled green jobs and driving down carbon emissions.  

London stands ready to deliver. Last year the mayor and London Councils created Warmer Homes London, which will roll out measures needed to make the capital’s homes warmer and more energy efficient, while reducing energy bills.  

“Warmer Homes London allows us to leverage our collective insights, resources and decision-making to maximise the impact of £231m in funding supporting the city’s lowest-income households”

By bringing together London’s two major retrofit grant programmes, Warmer Homes London allows us to leverage our collective insights, resources and decision-making to maximise the impact of £231m in funding supporting the city’s lowest-income households. By aligning borough, mayoral and housing association delivery, it has already enabled London to secure more retrofit funding than ever before and put in place the foundations for delivery at scale. 

The capital faces unique challenges – high costs, varied housing stock and a fragmented delivery landscape. Few understand those challenges better than London’s local and citywide government, and our deep knowledge means we are well placed to deliver the change and impact the government has promised as part of the Warm Homes Plan.

Significantly, the Warm Homes Plan lays the foundation for neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood retrofit programmes prioritising low-income homes, which in London could deliver 20,000 upgrades over five years. With the right support from local leaders and government, we estimate that our approach could unlock an estimated £400m in investment from private sources. 

Critically, London’s approach to area-based retrofit – Net Zero Neighbourhood proposals – uses a mixture of public and private funding to go further and faster. The Warm Homes Plan offers the foundations for this model, by integrating existing retrofit funds and creating the potential for blending in financing through the new Warm Homes Fund.

Not only will this bring warmer homes to those Londoners most exposed to high energy bills, it will also grow our workforce. The Warm Homes Plan states that 180,000 high-quality green jobs will be created through the coming wave of energy efficiency upgrades to Britain’s homes. In London alone, it is estimated to support 19,000 jobs by 2030.

“Through training and upskilling London’s workforce, we can support Londoners into high-quality jobs for the future, while ensuring residents receive high-quality energy upgrades in their homes”

London’s authorities are well placed to ensure this ambition is realised. Through the London Growth Plan and Inclusive Talent Strategy, the Mayor of London and London Councils have aligned skills policy with delivery priorities, using devolved funding, local partnerships and employer-led training to upskill Londoners and connect them to employers.

This presents another key opportunity: through training and upskilling our workforce, we can support Londoners into high-quality jobs for the future, while ensuring residents receive high-quality energy upgrades in their homes. It is an example of how reaching net zero will improve our lives, our economy and our communities.

London has proudly led the way when it comes to combatting climate change, remaining at the cutting edge of best practice to reduce emissions. But tackling the climate crisis must also mean tackling inequality, and delivering vital energy upgrades citywide is one of the most direct ways we can do both.

With 3.6 million households in the capital, the success of the Warm Homes Plan in London will be critical to its success nationally. London has the delivery capacity, the partnerships and the ambition to make it work.

With the right backing, we can turn the Warm Homes Plan into warmer homes, lower bills, good jobs and lasting change for Londoners, and show how climate action can improve everyday life.

Mete Coban, deputy mayor of London for environment and energy and Baroness Dacres, executive member for transport and environment, London Councils