The Coalition government has allocated £123,000 to York for a scheme to trial insulation for solid walls as part of its commitment to tackling fuel poverty and climate change.

The three main target areas for the pilot will be around Leeman Road, Lawrence Street and Tang Hall in traditional solid brick terraced homes and former council-owned properties in a variety of construction types, known to be difficult and costly to insulate and expensive to heat.

Householders in these areas will be approached, given expert advice in conjunction with Yorkshire Energy Partnership and other agencies, and up to 50 properties will be fitted with solid wall insulation for the pilot.

Initial estimates reckon that the householder will pay for 70% of the insulation through grants provided by from utility companies, while the remainder will be paid for using an interest-free energy efficiency loan, funded by the bid, to the customer. Offering this type of loan will help to maximise the uptake of the pilot project and allow the council to learn about the installation itself from a technical point of view, and the take-up of these loans by residents.

Anyone interested in being part of the trial can contact the Yorkshire Energy Partnership on 01904 554406 to arrange for their home to be considered. Final assessments of properties and the effect of the insulation will be carried out between December and March 2013 after which the final report will be published.