Millions of households could get free solar panels and heat pumps through new scheme
The government has announced that households will soon have access to thousands of pounds worth of green technology to lower their energy bills and stay warm all year round.
The Department for Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) will see homeowners access low, low and zero interest loans to install solar panels, heat pumps and batteries through its ‘Warm Homes Scheme’.
Low-income households and fuel-starved families struggling to pay their energy bills will receive free upgrades to insulation and clean technology, backed by £5bn of public investment under the flagship scheme.
The government has pledged £15bn of public investment to deliver energy efficiency and technology upgrades to British homes. Ministers say this will reduce bills and dependence on fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions and lift people out of fuel poverty.
New protections will also be introduced for tenants living in cold, damp and moldy conditions.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “It is a scandal that millions of people across our country do not have the security of a warm, affordable and safe home.
“With this investment, we are embarking on a national project to turn the tide – launching the fight against fuel poverty and going one step further in tackling the affordability crisis for families across Britain.”
It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in last year’s Budget that an average of £150 a year would be cut from all families’ energy bills from April.
Environmental and anti-fuel poverty campaigners welcomed the new plan but called for more action and funding to tackle the problem of people living in cold, damp homes and struggling to pay their energy bills.
Here’s what you need to know:
Free upgrades
The warm homes scheme includes direct support for low-income families to receive a free package containing a range of energy-saving measures, from insulation to technology, depending on what suits individual properties.
DESNZ gives the example of a family who took a fully financed solar panels and battery installation and saved up to £12,000.
Authorities said that improvements can be made on all streets where social housing is located.
Zero/low interest loans
Alongside new rules in the Future Homes Standard that will make solar power standard on new homes, homeowners will be given government-backed zero- and low-interest loans to install solar panels on their roofs.
Loans will also be available for batteries and heat pumps to enable greater use of clean technologies, in addition to the £7,500 grant for replacing boilers with heat pumps.
Current home improvements under the government plan will include: solar panels, heat pumps, home and thermal batteries, smart controls, insulation and draft protection.
Tenant protection
DESNZ said the plans also include improving protections for tenants, as well as support for landlords to make energy efficiency improvements.
The ministry adds that 1.6 million children currently live in private accommodation suffering from cold, damp or mould. It is estimated that the plan will lift half a million families out of fuel poverty by the end of this decade.
Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “The heart of the warm homes scheme amounts to a rescue mission for Britain’s coldest, dampest homes and that must be the priority.
“Combined with long-overdue improvements to conditions in the private rental sector, it could save lives, reduce NHS costs and permanently reduce the energy bills of those struggling with fuel shortages.”
But he called for further reforms to reduce electricity costs and provide financial support to households waiting for improvements to be made.
“Above all, any use of public funds must come with a warm home warranty built around quality advice on correct installations, enhanced consumer protections and a promise that bills for every improved home will go down.”
