THOUSANDS of low income households could save £200 on their energy bills thanks to a new government scheme.
Households with poor insulation and out-dated heating systems will be in line for upgrades that can help bring the cost of their energy bills down.
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Hundreds of thousands of people overpay by as much as £246 on heating bills due to poor insulation alone.
Meanwhile, families in homes with lower energy efficiency ratings are thought to be suffering the most from global gas price increases.
The government announced yesterday that a new £67 million Home Upgrade grant will help as many as 4,300 households become more energy efficient though.
But only the worst performing low-income, off gas grid homes, ranging from Energy Performance Certificate Bands D to G, will be eligible for the new upgrades.
If they are eligible, they will have measures like wall and roof insulation put in place, as well as new low-carbon heating systems, thermostats and room heating controls installed.
Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said: “This funding will make a real difference to thousands of low-income households – saving them up to £200 a year on their energy bills through upgrades like better insulation.”
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Households are expected to receive the upgrades by the end of March next year.
The funding itself will be delegated to local councils though, so you’ll have to get in touch with yours to claim the energy efficient help.
It’s all in an effort to make homes warmer for the most hard-up.
If your house is better insulated, then less heat can escape.
With energy bills rocketing by £693 a year in just a matter of weeks, the waste heat let out through thinner walls or the roof will only drain more money from Brits’ wallets.
As many as five million are wasting a whopping £128 a year on their heating bills, according to Uswitch.
The thermostat upgrades and room heating controls can also help households conserve energy where they need to, and waste less at the same time.
You can use them to make sure you’re only heating the parts of your house you use the most, or are occupying at the time.
That way you won’t generate more waste heat that eats away at your pockets.
Installing the measures can often be costly though – loft insulation can costs as much as £300 to install according to the Renewable Energy hub.
But through the scheme the government is helping to foot the bill for the upgrades for the most hard up.
It’s also hoping the scheme will help meet its goal of ensuring that as many fuel poor households as possible achieve a minimum Energy Performance Certificate rating of at least Band C by 2030.
The help is also on top of measures the government had already announced in a bid to help households with their rising energy costs.
A £9.1 billion package of support was announced in January, including a £150 non-repayable rebate in council tax bills, and separate £200 discount on household energy bills to come in this Autumn.
But the £200 discount is only designed to help with rocketing energy costs in the short term, and has to be paid back in £40 installments over the next five years.
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