£56,000 cost to retrofit homes

The cost of retrofitting old homes in Scarborough borough could be as high as £56,000, according to council officials.

Scarborough Council will be applying for Government funding to support residents seeking to retrofit their properties to make them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

North Yorkshire aims to be carbon-neutral by 2035 and carbon net negative by 2040, which will require private and public buildings to be made more energy efficient.

The importance of retrofitting and energy efficiency has been raised as a pressing issue amid rising energy costs.

However, council officials have said that the cost of retrofitting a Victorian domestic property, or similar terraced or stone-built rural building, could be as high as £56,000.

Cllr Michelle DonhueMoncrieff, Scarborough Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “I think for us you have to start with what is realistic here, what is the scope of the problem, and how do you solve it?

"The issue in areas like ours is that £56,000 is a higher percentage against some house values compared to other areas in the country. So it’s a significant amount.”

The council’s own Better Homes Joint Venture has been taking a lead on environmental standards.

Harry Baross, the council’s head of climate change, said: “We are aiming to bring forward those Future Homes 2025 Standards into the Better Homes projects earlier than 2025.”