E.ON and Barking and Dagenham set out ambition to make energy more affordable for 3,500 families across the borough

The renewed partnership builds on work that first started in 2019 and which has already helped almost 2,000 households access support to make their homes warmer, more energy efficient and cheaper to run. 

E.ON and the council have today announced plans to work together on going further - combining home improvements, low carbon technologies and practical energy advice to help more people to lower their bills and take greater control of the energy they use. 

Almost 1,900 homes have already been upgraded, with £13 million of funding leveraged in six schemes across the borough. These are practical solutions that show how collaboration can help households reduce energy use, lower bills and access warmer, healthier homes, while supporting local jobs, stronger communities, greater energy security and a fairer transition, one in which no one is left behind.  

The renewed agreement is designed to build on that progress and do more – supporting the council’s ambition to become a carbon neutral authority by 2030 while helping families to lower bills and live in warmer, healthier homes. 

Jamie Brookes, Green Funding Solutions Director at E.ON, said: “Working with the council, we’ve already supported around 2,000 households with a mix of practical improvements from insulation and ventilation to low carbon solutions like solar panels that help make homes warmer and cheaper to run. This is what we mean by making new energy work for everyone. 

“This new agreement is about making energy more affordable for a greater number of families across  Barking and Dagenham. Long-term partnerships like this give us the platform to go further – reaching up to 3,500 homes where we can change people’s relationship with energy, helping them to take control of their energy use and, ultimately, lower their bills.” 

Fiona Taylor, Chief Executive of Barking and Dagenham, said: “Too many families still face the challenge of cold homes and high energy costs. Our work with E.ON has already made a real difference to residents across the borough, and this renewed relationship is about building on that success so we can do more. By improving homes, lowering bills and supporting cleaner local energy, we can help create healthier, more affordable places to live while continuing our journey towards net zero.”

Set out in a new Memorandum of Understanding, the agreement also creates a stronger basis for E.ON and Barking and Dagenham to explore further opportunities across home improvements, renewable technologies and community energy, with a focus on practical schemes that make clean energy more affordable and accessible for local people. 

E.ON’s pioneering work in Becontree is creating a net zero neighbourhood demonstrator to show how combined retrofit and community energy solutions could be delivered at scale.  

The project is bringing together energy efficiency improvements, solar power, battery storage, heat pumps as part of E.ON’s Next Gen Home, to demonstrate how whole neighbourhoods can be upgraded affordable and practical ways – showing there is no longer a need to choose between cleaner energy and lower bills. 

The partnership has already received wider recognition, winning a Greater London Energy Efficiency Award for its large-scale retrofit work. Recent projects have included upgrades to hard-to-treat homes through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, with measures such as insulation, solar PV and ventilation improvements helping residents benefit from warmer homes, lower energy use and improved comfort.