- A new website serves as a home energy MOT, offering individualised, unbiased suggestions on improvements that can help homeowners increase energy efficiency.
- Making improvements to energy efficiency is one of the simplest ways to reduce energy use and can result in immediate and long-lasting savings in addition to being more environmentally friendly.
- The government has invested £12 billion in energy efficiency through Help to Heat programmes and the expanded Energy Company Obligation programme.
The government today launched a new website that offers homeowners a home energy MOT and offers recommendations that might help them save hundreds of pounds a year on expenses.
It will provide advice to customers on how to update their homes with features like double glazing and loft and wall insulation to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings.
It also provides links to installation guidance for low-carbon heating systems like heat pumps and information on how to apply for government grants of £5,000 that will enable homeowners to get rid of their fossil fuel-powered boilers, which have seen price increases brought on by pressures on international markets.
The new online tool, which is being introduced on the GOV.UK website, provides customers with unbiased recommendations on how to enhance the energy efficiency of their homes.
Users can enter information about their homes and obtain recommendations that are specific to their needs in order to reduce their energy usage and make their homes more environmentally friendly. It is an easy-to-use interactive service.
The government’s commitment through its Help to Heat programmes, which when combined with the enlarged Energy Company Obligation programme, totals over £12 billion across 700,000 homes, will be complemented by the website launch today.
The Heat and Buildings Strategy’s £800 million commitment to the Social Housing Decarbonization Fund and £950 million for the Home Upgrade Grant are two examples of Help to Heat programmes that are already providing energy efficiency upgrades for tens of thousands of low-income families.
The Energy Company Obligation programme will be continued by the government through 2026, increasing its value to £1 billion year and providing energy-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in an average annual energy bill savings of almost £300.
Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said:
“The cheapest energy is the energy that you don’t use, and by making simple improvements to the energy performance of their homes, people can see immediate and lasting savings on their bills.”
“With global pressures pushing up fossil fuel prices, it has never been more important to make our homes more energy efficient.
This website provides a new and trusted source of information where homeowners can give their property an energy MOT and get clear, impartial advice.”
“It builds on the £6.6 billion the government is investing to improve the energy efficiency of homes through our Help to Heat schemes where we are helping low-income households make their properties not only warmer, but cheaper to keep warm.”
“A further £5.4 billion is available through the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which we have expanded until 2026 and is delivering average energy bill savings of around £300 a year for those who need it most.”
“Some of the simplest upgrades can be the most effective and now is the time to act to make sure your home is ready for the colder months.
I am urging homeowners to get online, use this new website and see the changes you can make now that could save you hundreds of pounds on your bills this winter.”
Note to Editors:
As part of the historic Heat and Buildings Strategy, the UK government pledged to creating the new energy guidance website.
Between 2022 and 2025, the government will invest more than £3.9 billion in new financing to decarbonize heat and buildings nationwide.
With this, capital investments in building decarbonization will total £6.6 billion over the course of the current Parliament.
The Heat and Buildings Strategy outlines how the government is prioritising the most disadvantaged members of society and making sure they have access to energy efficiency measures and aren’t left behind.
Through a number of programmes, the government helps needy and low-fuel households reduce their carbon footprint at home, including:
contributing an additional £800 million to the Social Housing Decarbonization Fund (SHDF) and adding £950 million to the Home Upgrade Grant in order to enhance the energy efficiency of socially rented homes across England.