Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, has welcomed a share of £2.5 billion of funding to boost heating efficiency and cut heating costs in homes across Eden.
The Conservative Government have announced£1.4billion in grant funding under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) (£778million) and Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) (£630million).
Across Eden, £5,100,000 will be provided through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and a further £12,420,000 will be provided from the Home Upgrade Grant, boosting the efficiency of 600 homes, slashing bills and emissions. This is great news for our rural housing stock that is often older, less energy efficient and bears the brunt of some of England's worst weather.
The funding committed by Government will be matched with around £1.1billion in funding provided by Social Housing Landlords. This means the overall package will benefit 115,000 low-income households, with average annual bill savings of between £220 to £400 per household.
The schemes form part of the Conservative Government’s commitment to reduce overall UK energy demand by 15per cent by 2030, as well as supporting the ambition for the UK to move towards greater energy independence.
The Home Upgrade Grant is supporting over 25,000 low-income homes across England by installing energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating. Those being aided are typically the worst quality off-grid homes most in need of upgrading, with an EPC rating of D to G. Improving these homes comes with the added benefit of supporting 7,000 jobs.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said:
“I’m proud to champion our Government’s mission to reach net zero, and it is right this does not burden the taxpayer with unrealistic costs.
“Moreover, the older housing stock of Penrith and The Border can make heating homes a struggle and unfairly penalise those living in rural houses.
“That is why I am delighted the Conservative Government is investing more than £17.5 million across Eden to boost energy efficiency and ultimately cut bills.”
Today’s announcement comes alongside the latest funding of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme update, at around £400 million. This scheme supports public sector bodies to move away from using fossil fuels to generate heat and energy and instead use low carbon technology.
The Conservative Government will also launch a suite of tools, templates and guidance to support the public sector in decarbonising their sites. This has been produced by, and will be hosted on the website of, Energy Systems Catapult. It includes tools to calculate BAU energy use, procurement templates and clear, accessible guidance.
Energy Secretary, Grant Shapps, added:
“This winter, we have all become acutely aware of our energy bills and how best to keep our homes warm. In the face of Putin’s war driving up prices, we have already stepped to pay around half of the average household’s energy bills to help get through the winter months. Today, we are going even further to boost energy efficiency and bring down bills for those who need it the most.”
