Grants to help lower energy bills for low income families
Grants of up to £25,000 are available for Basingstoke and Deane residents struggling to pay their bills and living in cold homes to make home improvements that could help lower their energy bills.
Residents with a household income of less than £30,000 or on means-tested benefits and living in homes with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G can apply for funding for energy efficiency improvements such as loft and solid wall insulation as well as solar panels and air source heat pumps.
Different amounts are available depending on whether a home is connected to the mains gas network, with people in on-gas homes eligible for up to £10,000 while those in off-gas homes are able to apply for up to £25,000.
The grants are funded by the government through its Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme for on-gas homes and its Home Upgrade Grant scheme for off-gas properties. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is working with partners through the Warmer Homes Consortium, led by Portsmouth City Council and managed by AgilityEco, to deliver the measures.
The grants do not need to be repaid and cover 100% of the costs of home improvements for people who own their home. Residents renting private accommodation are also eligible, with the grant covering up to two thirds of the costs and their landlord contributing the remaining amount.
Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Action Cllr Hayley Eachus said: “With the ongoing cost of living crisis and the energy price cap set to go up yet again in the autumn, these fully funded improvements could help residents to stay warm while using less energy, potentially saving hundreds of pounds a year on heating bills and reducing emissions in support of our target to become a net zero carbon borough.”
Funding is being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with measures to be installed by March 2023.
For more information and to apply see www.warmerhomes.org.uk.
