£1billion eco scheme will save middle class families £310 on bills
£1billion eco scheme will save middle class families £310 on bills by helping to insulate homes
- Business Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to unveil the plans today
- The Eco+ scheme will fund loft and cavity wall insulation from next spring
- The government will also confirm £18million campaign to offer energy advice
Middle-income households could be eligible for help to make their homes more energy efficient as part of a £1billion government scheme.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to unveil plans today to fund loft and cavity wall insulation in a bid to reduce the UK’s energy consumption and save families around £310 a year.
Hundreds of thousands of households which have not been eligible for previous schemes will be able to benefit from the new Eco+ scheme, which will run for up to three years from next spring.
Eligible households within council tax bands A through to D could receive assistance to make their homes more energy-efficient through insulation.
Loft insulation can save homes around £640 a year, while filling cavities can knock £525 off bills.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to unveil plans today to fund loft and cavity wall insulation in a bid to reduce the UK’s energy consumption and save families around £310 a year (pictured in Downing Street on November 23)
The Government will also confirm today an £18million public information campaign to offer advice and technical tips to help households cut their energy use while keeping warm.
It will suggest measures such as reducing the boiler flow temperature from 75C to 60C, turning down radiators in empty rooms and draught proofing windows and doors.
Eco schemes have already delivered more than three million energy-efficiency measures in 2.4million homes, the Government estimates.
Ministers hope the funding, allocated from existing budgets, will also provide certainty to green supply chains and jobs in the sector.
The Government will also confirm today an £18million public information campaign to offer advice and technical tips to help households cut their energy use while keeping warm (file image)
Mr Shapps said: ‘The Government put immediate help in place to support households in the wake of global energy price rises caused by Putin’s illegal march on Ukraine.
‘Today, we launch the first of many measures to ensure the British public are never put in this position again as we work towards an energy- independent future.
‘A new Eco scheme will enable thousands more to insulate their homes, protecting the pounds in their pockets, and create jobs across the country.
‘And in the short term, our new public information campaign will also give people the tools they need to reduce their energy use while keeping warm this winter.’
But Labour’s climate change spokesman Ed Miliband said: ‘This reheated announcement with no new resources is far too little too late and will help only a tiny fraction of the millions of people facing a cost of living emergency this winter.’
He added: ‘Labour’s Warm Homes Plan would insulate up to two million homes a year, saving pensioners and families up to £1,000 off their energy bills.’
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