The families we help will never see the certificates hanging on a wall or sitting on a shelf. They do not need to.
But awards are important for a different reason. They make our sector stop and ask a simple question: did this work genuinely improve people’s lives?
This July, the answer was a resounding yes.
Behind every award is a story of colder homes made warmer, rising energy bills made more manageable and residents receiving the support they need.
If you live in an older property tucked away in rural North Yorkshire, you may be used to hearing your home described as “hard to treat”.
Too remote. Too complex. Too expensive.
Too often, these homes are left until last.
Our award-winning North Yorkshire programme took a different approach. Working alongside North Yorkshire Council and Align Property Partners, we upgraded 70 rural homes across one of England’s largest counties.
Over 18 months, a team of seven people delivered 187 separate energy efficiency improvements. Every property received a tailored package of measures, including insulation, ventilation upgrades, new heating systems, replacement windows and solar panels where appropriate.
Supported by £1.7 million of government funding, the programme helped every home improve its Energy Performance Certificate rating from E to C, while collectively reducing carbon emissions by around 180 tonnes each year.
Most importantly, it proved that no home should be considered too difficult to improve.
The best thing about Calderdale’s approach is its simplicity.
For many households, seeking help can mean navigating a maze of organisations, departments and application forms. One phone number for advice, another for funding and another for council services.
In Calderdale, one conversation starts the journey.
Working closely with YES Energy Solutions and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Calderdale Council has brought together grants, its Healthy Homes programme, crisis support and wider advice services into a joined-up offer for residents.
Over the past year, 59 households received home energy improvements through the programme, including wall and loft insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and upgraded windows. More than £1.4 million has been invested into some of the borough’s coldest homes.
Alongside this, a £250,000 Crisis Fund helps residents facing urgent situations, ensuring support can be accessed quickly while longer-term solutions are put in place.
It is an approach centred on people rather than processes, and one that fully deserved recognition.
Of all the awards won this year, this may be the one that means the most.
It belongs to the team who answer the phone.
Every day they speak to residents who are worried about energy bills, living in cold homes or unsure where to turn for help. They guide people through applications, explain funding schemes, check eligibility and stay with cases until support has been delivered.
The difference they make is often invisible to the wider world, but not to the people they help.
A warmer home can begin with a single conversation, and this award recognises the compassion, patience and determination that our advice team brings to those conversations every day.
A week earlier, the East Midlands Energy Efficiency Awards also recognised the impact of our work.
Our Derby project secured a category win, while the Nottingham Warm Homes Local Grant programme was highly commended. The team was also recognised with a commended award.
Different locations. Different projects. The same objective.
Delivering simple, joined-up support that reaches the people who need it most and helps create warmer, healthier homes.
Industry recognition is always welcome, but the real measure of success is the difference these programmes make in people’s lives.
Tonight, a family in North Yorkshire is living in a warmer home that may once have been considered too difficult to improve. Somewhere in Calderdale, a resident who made one worried phone call is receiving the support they need without having to fight their way through multiple services.
That is what these awards represent.
Thank you to Calderdale Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council, Align Property Partners and all of our delivery partners for helping make this work possible.
Most of all, thank you to the residents who trusted us enough to let us through the door.
