Following the recent Halton Borough Council report on schemes to help retrofit hundreds of homes across the borough with free energy improvement measures, the Council’s lead on Climate Change Cllr Phil Harris is urging residents who may qualify for the Green Homes Grant to get in touch with the Council.

Cllr Harris said: ‘’It’s very important that homes who may currently qualify for free improvements get in touch and register their interest. The first round of funding, needs to be spent by June 2022, so the Council are keen to arrange as many homes energy surveys as possible over the next few weeks for households who think they might be eligible.

The Council is currently seeking households with qualifying criteria set by the Government to apply for free home improvements known as the Green Homes Grant scheme. The key qualifying criteria are:

  • You own your own home or it is rented from a private landlord.
  • You have a household income of less than £30,000 and/or receive a qualifying benefit.
  • Your home has no energy performance certificate (EPC) or an EPC rating of D, E, F or G.

If you meet the criteria, you may be eligible for a grant for up to £10,000.00 to make your home warmer and reduce energy bills.

Energy Performance certificates were introduced in 2007 and basically rate the energy efficiency of a home, like council tax bands do for council tax purposes.

Potential improvements will vary property to property, and the grant could pay for improvements such as:

  • Loft and underfloor Insulation
  • Replacing single-glazing with double glazing and new external doors
  • Solar panels and air source heat pumps
  • Energy efficient lightbulbs

More information about the eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the council website at https://www3.halton.gov.uk/Pages/planning/greenhomesgrant.aspx

Looking ahead, Cllr Harris said:

“Even if you don’t think you qualify for the green homes grant, I would encourage those interested to keep an eye on the Council’s website and social media feeds. We hope to announce further energy improvement grant opportunities in spring and going forward. Additionally we are looking to offer free energy saving advice and support, which will be targeted to help tackle fuel poverty at a time of rising fuels bills.”

“We continue to work with our partners across the City Region to secure further grant funding  and working to deliver energy improvement schemes for social landlord homes, which require match funding are under discussion with local social landlords and the Council.

“Our analysis indicates there are around 7,750 homes with EPC ratings of E to G. These worst energy performing homes are a priority for improvement. This is a mammoth task, requiring significant time and Government investment.”