Government grants available for north Northamptonshire residents to make homes more energy efficient
People in north Northamptonshire are being given the opportunity to to apply for government funding to help improve their house’s energy efficiency.
The Warm Homes: Local Grant is a part of the government’s Warm Home Plan, which is delivered by North Northamptonshire Council.
It is designed to help improve the energy efficiency of local people’s homes by providing grants for energy performance and low carbon heating to low-income households living in the privately owned homes to help achieve energy bill savings and carbon savings.
George Candler, North Northamptonshire Council’s executive director for place and economy, said: “This Government-funded scheme has been designed to ensure that those on the lowest incomes can make changes to their homes and make them more energy efficient.
"Schemes like this not only benefit individual households but also help towards our collective commitment to reduce carbon emissions across north Northamptonshire.
“We would encourage anyone who thinks they might be eligible to look at the information online and apply before the deadline.”
Upgrades are open to all fuel types, including on gas households (those heated by mains gas) and off gas households (those heated by electricity, oil, coal or liquid petroleum gas).
Such energy performance upgrades could include insulation, air source heat pumps or solar panels, as the government says up to 300,000 households will benefit from home upgrades in the next year.
Minister for energy consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, added: “The idea at the heart of our Warm Homes Plan is a simple one – all families deserve the security of a home they can afford to heat.
“But for too long, that has been out of reach for far too many people who have been left with draughty homes and sky-high bills. That is why we are taking immediate action today to make cleaner heating available to more households.
“This follows our plan to lift over one million households out of fuel poverty by consulting on boosting minimum energy efficiency standards for all renters by 2030, delivering warmer homes and cheaper bills.”
Homes eligible for the grant must be privately owned, either by the resident or a landlord, and have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D, E, F or G.
Household income must usually be a maximum of £36,000, however those who earn more than that may still be eligible if they either live in a certain postcode area, or someone in the household is getting ‘certain benefits’, though which are currently unclear.