Many more residents in the Horsham District can now benefit from warmer homes that are cheaper to run, following a change to eligibility rules for the Government's Home Upgrade Grant.
The maximum income threshold for the grant has risen to £36,000, increasing the eligible pool of local households who can access free energy saving upgrades by nearly 20%.
The funding is accessible through the Warmer Homes Programme, which is currently open to new applications. If your annual household income is £36,000 or less and you don't use a gas boiler as your main heating system, you can apply to receive free energy-saving upgrades for your home. These include insulation, air source heat pumps, solar panels and more.
Eligible households can have these energy-saving installations at no cost through funding secured from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero by a group of 23 local authorities, including Horsham District Council. Up to £38,000 in funding is available per household, depending on the property type and what measures are suitable for the property.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing Cllr Sam Raby commented:
It is great news that even more of our residents can now benefit from the considerable energy cost benefits of the Home Upgrade Grant.
As the cost of living crisis continues and we depend more on our heating systems, this grant scheme can offer vital improvements which could see many people across our District who are on a low income benefit from measures which could see them being warmer, reducing their bills, and decreasing their home’s impact on the environment.
I would encourage as many local people as possible to check out if they are eligible for the grant.
What if I have gas in my home?
You can still apply for this scheme if you have a gas connection, as long as it's not used for heating, for example if you have a gas cooker, but your home uses electric storage heaters.
Your home will be eligible for this scheme if it is mainly heated by any of the following methods:
- Electricity (storage heaters, electric boiler, panel heaters)
- Oil
- Coal
- Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- Solid fuel.
If you are unsure whether you might be eligible, please call Warmer Homes for free on 0800 038 5737, and the team will be able to help.
The scheme will be open to applications until November 2024, with applications dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.
To find out if you're eligible, visit www.warmerhomes.org.uk
You can contact the Warmer Homes team by calling 0800 038 5737 or emailing retrofit@warmerhomes.org.uk .