BRITS could save £310 a year on their energy bills as thousands of homes are set to be eligible for a new insulation grant.
Under plans announced today, the new Eco+ scheme will extend support to those who do not currently benefit from any other Government support to upgrade their homes.
Joining the existing £6.6billion “help to heat” energy scheme this new £1billion funding will ensure hundreds of thousands more households benefit from new home insulation that will help keep homes warmer and so lowering bills.
The scheme will also be backed by a £18million public information campaign offering technical tips and advice for people to cut their energy use, while also keeping warm this winter.
Around 80 per cent of the funding for the Eco+ scheme will be made available for those households who are in some of the least energy-efficient homes in the country – that is, those with an EPC rating of D or below – and in the lower council tax bands.
This will benefit those households who do not currently benefit from any other Government support to upgrade their homes.
Around a fifth of the fund will also be targeted to those who are the most vulnerable, including those on means tested benefits or in fuel poverty.
Measures include loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and smart heating controls for middle income households.
The Government is also expanding its Help for Households campaign to help customers to reduce their own household energy usage and bills, while also giving vulnerable groups the right information for doing this without harming their health.
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The Government put immediate help in place to support households in the wake of global energy price rises caused by Putin’s illegal march on Ukraine.
“Today, we launch the first of many measures to ensure the British public are never put in this position again as we work towards an energy independent future.
“A new Eco scheme will enable thousands more to insulate their homes, protecting the pounds in their pockets, and creating jobs across the country.
“And in the short term, our new public information campaign will also give people the tools they need to reduce their energy use while keeping warm this winter.”
The Energy Company Obligation (Eco) schemes, which launched in January 2013 have delivered as many as 3.5m energy-efficiency measures in around 2.4m homes.
The Eco+ scheme, which will run from Spring 2023 for up to three years, extends that support even further and will see hundreds of thousands of households receive new insulation, saving them around £310 a year.
Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Georgia Whitaker warned the funding was not nearly enough as nearly seven million homes are suffering fuel poverty, while 19 million homes in England and Wales are badly insulated.
“This is a drop in the ocean compared to what people actually need to stay warm and well this winter and in the winters to come,” she said.
“At least £6 billion is needed by the end of this Parliament for a nationwide insulation programme that will not only help reduce our emissions but will also reduce the terrible levels of fuel poverty in the UK.
“The sooner the Government realises this and actually gets going the sooner we’ll have more affordable bills, more energy security and a more stable climate.”
