New home energy schemes for low-income residents

Sustainable Warmth is a new grant funding opportunity delivered by City Energy and the Greater South-East Net Zero Hub on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council. The funding, provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy could see hundreds of households benefit from energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures to reduce bills and carbon emissions.

The grants are for households with a gross annual income of less than £30,000 or a household income of less than £20,000 after housing costs and where the property has an energy (EPC) rating of D or lower.

The scheme is open to both homeowners and those who rent privately. For owner occupiers, the work will be carried out for free. For rental properties (whether private or social), the landlord will be expected to pay at least one third of the cost towards the work.

Applications are open now to eligible households at: buckinghamshire-applications.co.uk.

The closing date for applications is 31st December 2022.

Buckinghamshire Council has secured just under £5m of capital funding. This will be allocated as follows:

• £3.2 million through the Local Authority Delivery 3 (LAD3) scheme to support low-income households in Bucks on the gas grid with energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures such as cavity wall insulation, solar PV and loft insulation

• £1.7 million through the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) to support low-income households in Bucks that are not connected to the gas grid with energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures such as external wall insulation, underfloor insulation and air source heat pumps

For more information on the funding visit the GSENZH website.

Anyone worried about their energy bills can access free advice and information via the Big Energy Saving campaign being run jointly by Citizen's Advice and the Energy Saving Trust: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/

Bucks residents struggling to pay bills or afford food and essential goods can also apply for grants via the council’s Helping Hand Team at buckinghamshire.gov.uk.