Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has today (Monday 28 November) launched a Government push to help millions of people across the country bring down their energy costs for this winter and beyond.
Under the plans 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 £6.6 billion ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes this new £1 billion funding will ensure hundreds of thousands more households benefit from new home insulation and with that, lower bills.
Plus a new £18 million 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 £1 billion funding available through the new ECO+ scheme around 80 per cent of the funding will be made available for those households who are in some of the least energy efficient homes in the country such as those with an EPC rating of D or below and in the lower Council Tax bands.
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.
The Government will also 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.
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 3 years, extends that support even further and will see hundreds of thousands of households receive new insulation saving them around £310 a year.
More information is available on the existing Help for Households website.
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