More than £40m given to make homes in the South more energy efficient
It'll be used to help those living in vulnerable households
A consortium of councils led by Portsmouth City Council has been awarded more than £40m in government funding to improve the energy efficiency of homes and cut emissions.
Warmer Homes, the partnership of 22 local authorities, has been given an extra £41.4m from the latest £630m round of funding provided through the Home Upgrade Grant.
The money will be used to fund improvements at the homes of of vulnerable and low-income households that do not have gas central heating.
Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council have also been given money as part of the same initiative.
Councillor Kimberly Barrett, Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said the upgrades could save people hundreds of pounds a year.
‘This new funding award is a welcome addition to the support we already provide to people in Portsmouth to help them through the current energy and cost of living crisis,’ she said. ‘I’d urge people to take advantage of the funding to make their homes warmer, greener, and cheaper to run.’
Grants can be used to fund measures including insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and heating controls. The scheme has already received £50m from the government and has so far funded work at more than 2,700 homes.
Announcing the funding, energy secretary Grant Shapps said the money would also be ‘a huge boost for job creation and economic growth’.
His comments were echoed by Lord Callanan, the minister for energy efficiency and green finance.
‘This investment will help thousands of households to heat their homes for less, keep them warm for longer and could save hundreds on their annual energy bill,’ he said. ‘The green energy sector is growing, and this funding will support green jobs and provide the training needed to deliver these vital upgrades to homes.’
The funding for Warmer Homes will be available from next month, which the council said ‘will act as a continuation of the support already available through Switched On Portsmouth for the next two years.