Government rolls out £1.5bn to boost energy efficiency across vulnerable households
The Government has announced £1.5bn in funding to boost energy efficiency and cut bills for low income households across the country.
The funding will see 130,000 households in England receive upgrades through the Government’s Help to Heat, which could save £400-700 a year on their energy bills.
The £1.5bn is being made available through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant schemes – which are part of the £12bn overall programme.
The Government’s ‘Help to Heat’ schemes also include the Local Authority Delivery and Energy Company Obligation schemes, targeting support to lower income and more vulnerable households.
This will allow social housing providers and local authorities to submit bids for funding to upgrade the properties.
Insulation measures will include external wall and loft insulation, energy efficient doors and windows, and heat pumps and solar panel.
Local authorities and social housing providers will be able to submit bids for funding and will deliver upgrades from early next year until March 2025
Social housing with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower will be eligible to receive Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) upgrades.
Up to £800m in grant funding will see around 100,000 social homes receiving energy efficiency upgrades, with estimated average energy bill reductions of around £400 a year at current prices.
The grant funding provided by the Government will have to be matched by those applying, doubling the investment being made under the SHDF scheme to around £1.6bn.
Meanwhile, the Home Upgrade Grant will help people who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty, living in privately-owned – both rented and owner-occupied – off gas-grid homes and on low incomes.
It will see up to £700m available for local authorities to install energy efficiency measures in around 30,000 properties.
Estimates for average annual energy bill savings for low-income households in HUG are around £700 at current prices.