According to the government, an expanded program to insulate the most draughty homes in the United Kingdom may save households approximately £310 per year.
Beginning next spring, it will invest $1 billion in subsidies for households with low energy efficiency ratings and lower council tax bands.
It stated that households must contact their energy provider or local government to determine if they are participating.
However, some questioned why financing would not be accessible during the cold months.
The Department of Business, Energy, Industry, and Skills (BEIS) stated that under the ECO+ program, households that do not currently get any other government assistance will be eligible to make home improvements.
The grants will assist households in financing low-cost solutions, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, with an average cost per home of £1,500.
BEIS stated that a new £18 million public information campaign will offer guidance on how to cut energy consumption in the home “without losing comfort.”
Among the government’s advice are:
Changing your boiler’s “flow temperature” from 750C to 600C (which is different from turning down your thermostat). It is frequently done by adjusting a dial on the front of your boiler. It will not affect the temperature at which a room is heated, but it may take longer for your rooms to heat up.
reducing radiator temperatures in vacant rooms
By draught-proofing the home’s windows and doors, heat loss can be decreased.
Mr. Shapps stated that the ECO+ program would “allow thousands more homeowners to insulate their homes, saving them money and creating jobs across the nation.”
According to the Energy Savings Trust, without insulation, indoor temperatures are difficult to regulate and homes can lose up to 45 percent of their heat.
In a typical three-bedroomed semi-detached house in the UK, the Energy Savings Trust predicts that installing draught-proofing techniques plus cavity wall and loft insulation may save £555 on an average yearly energy bill.
Mr. Shapps told that we had spent approximately £6.6 billion on renovating millions of homes. This is a program for those who were previously excluded because their homes did not qualify.
Jonathan Reynolds, the opposition business secretary, told that the measures were “so late when we should have been doing so much more for so many years prior.”
He also claimed that the government’s efforts to remove the country’s reliance on fossil fuels lacked ambition.
Existing ECO programs target individuals in social housing, with low incomes, or who are fuel-poor.
Under the extended program, however, those whose homes have an energy efficiency rating of D or lower can receive assistance, regardless of whether they live in private, rented, or social housing. The grades for energy efficiency range from A to G, with A being the best and G being the worst.
According to sources, applicants must reside in houses covered by council tax categories A through D.
If you qualify for assistance, your energy company will do a survey and pay for the changes.
Despite targeting households with middle-class incomes, the government says a portion of the new £1 billion in financing will go to the neediest households.
Fuel poverty activists applauded the steps, but stated that more must be done to assist those in most need.
Adam Scorer, chief executive officer of National Energy Action, stated that the “program is not designed to target the most vulnerable; rather, it is designed to reach those who have not benefited from past schemes.”
“We feel the government’s priority should be to help those at the greatest risk and peril, and more of this money should go to assist them.”
UK lags behind
It is commonly stated that the United Kingdom has some of the oldest and least energy-efficient homes in Europe.
12 million British houses were graded D or below on their Energy Performance Certificates, meaning they do not satisfy long-term energy efficiency standards.
BEIS reports that 46% of dwellings already have an energy efficiency grade of C or higher, up from 13% in 2010.
In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined a new objective to reduce energy demand by 15 percent by 2030.
After 2025, BEIS stated that this objective would be supported by an extra £6 billion investment.
Mr. Hunt stated that the ECO+ program would assist “hundreds of thousands of individuals” in insulating their homes.
Georgia Whitaker, an energy campaigner with Greenpeace in the United Kingdom, stated that approximately seven million houses suffer from fuel poverty, while 19 million properties in England and Wales are poorly insulated.
She stated, “This is a drop in the ocean compared to what people need to be warm and healthy this winter and in future years.”
