West of England mayor Helen Godwin is offering grants of up to £15k to help care homes and community buildings improve energy efficiency and stay cool during heatwaves.

Her Green Energy Fund has earmarked a total pot of £500,000 for homes for older people and community buildings to carry out improvements, which could include installing air source heat pumps for both summer and winter or improving insulation.

Those applying are also being offered a free energy survey from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. The deadline for applications is August 28.   

‘As our summers become hotter, it's increasingly important that the places people rely on every day can provide safe, comfortable spaces’, said Godwin.

‘Whether it’s care homes creating a more comfortable environment for residents and staff, or enabling community buildings to become valuable cool spaces for local people, we want to make a difference for our communities and our planet.’

Backing the grant scheme are the leaders of the region’s Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils.  

‘Implementing energy-saving improvements are a win-win, helping to reduce the pollution that fuels climate change, while also offering opportunities to keep buildings cooler during the summer,’ they said in a joint statement.

‘Care homes and community organisations in the region should take advantage of these grants now, and ensure that they’re better positioned for the future.’

Among previous grant recipients is St George Community Centre in Bristol, which installed 24 solar panels.

According to a report released this week by think tank Verdant, successive heatwaves this year have cost the UK economy £4.4bn so far.

The main cost is reduced productivity, say researchers. Another is the price of replacing failing or overheated equipment.

Investment in cooling programmes, green urban design and a national maximum working temperature are among measures needed due to increasing temperatures, says the think tank.