Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) has announced that it will invest £55 million in energy efficiency measures for their homes over the next year.

The investment was announced at NIHE's annual Sustainability Symposium and will include a £9 million scheme involving the low-carbon retrofitting of 300 homes.

By March 2025, the scheme will see upgrades to 300 home in the Strabane, Dunmurry, Newtownards, Sion Mills, Dungannon and Antrim areas.

Chief Executive of the Housing Executive Grainia Long, said: "Our Low Carbon Retrofit Programme will deliver a 'whole house' solution with the desired outcome of reducing carbon emissions, lowering householder bills and providing a heathier environment.

"A range of interventions will help us achieve this, including improving energy efficiency measures through retrofitting, the introduction of low carbon heating options like air source heat pumps and the use of renewable energy for power generation and electric storage.

-- Advertisement --

"This exciting programme is just one strand of our £55m investment plan. These plans will help combat the very real pressures created by fuel poverty and the cost of living crisis. The low carbon retrofit scheme follows the completion of our first large-scale retrofit programme with EU Interreg funding and match funding from the Housing Executive at over £31m. Thanks to this programme, 1400 of our houses are warmer, more energy efficient and have a reduced carbon footprint."

At the annual Sustainability Symposium the Northern Ireland Home Energy Conservation Authority annual progress report and Sunningdale, a new build pilot project in north Belfast was discussed. This project is

the Housing Executive's first housing development for nearly 25 years. In November 2023, works began on the build and construction is now underway on six semi-detached homes. The homes were built using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and ultra-low energy building techniques, to Passive House standard.

Additional presenters at the occasion included Ciaran Byrne, who serves as the Director of the National Retrofit Directorate at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Angus Kerr, the Director of Climate Change at the Department for Communities, Dr. Inna Vorushylo from Ulster University, and Eddie Murnin, holding the position of Associate Director at GEDA Construction.