Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) has launched a Government push to help millions of people across the country bring down their energy costs for this winter and beyond.
It is part of wider action this week across energy policy to help the UK meet its ambition of becoming energy independent.
Under plans launched today, the new ECO+ scheme will extend support to those who do not currently benefit from any other Government support to upgrade their homes.
Joining the existing £6.6bn ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes this new £1bn funding will ensure hundreds of thousands more households benefit from new home insulation and with that, lower bills.
Plus a new £18m public information campaign will also offer technical tips and advice for people to cut their energy use, while also keeping warm this winter. Alongside the impact on their bills from the Energy Price Guarantee, the campaign will demonstrate how consumers can make significant savings.
Of the £1bn funding available through the new ECO+ scheme, around 80% of the funding will be made available for those households who are in some of the least energy-efficient homes in the country – that is, those with an EPC rating of D or below – and in the lower Council Tax bands.
This will benefit those households who do not currently benefit from any other Government support to upgrade their homes. Around a fifth of the fund will also be targeted to those who are the most vulnerable, including those on means tested benefits or in fuel poverty.
On top of this, the Government will significantly expand its Help for Households campaign to help customers to reduce their own household energy usage and bills, while also giving vulnerable groups the right information for doing this without harming their health.
Business and Energy Secretary Grant 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 creating 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.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt added: “With Putin’s war driving up gas prices worldwide, I know many families are feeling worried about their energy bills this winter and beyond.
“Our extensive energy support package is insulating people from the worst of this crisis, but we’re also supporting people to permanently cut their costs.
“In the longer term, we need to make Britain more energy independent by generating more clean, affordable, home-grown power, but we also need more efficient homes and buildings.
“Our new ECO+ scheme will help hundreds of thousands of people across the UK to better insulate their homes to reduce consumption, with the added benefit of saving families hundreds of pounds each year.
“Making homes more energy efficient is the best way to cut household energy use and is already helping reduce household energy bills, while also creating jobs across the country.”
Since it was launched in January 2013, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) schemes have delivered as many as 3.5 million energy-efficiency measures in around 2.4 million homes.
The ECO+ scheme, which will run from spring 2023 for up to three years, extends that support even further and will see hundreds of thousands of households receive new insulation, saving them around £310 a year.
