Saving money on your gas and electric bill and at the same time help fight global warming by reducing your carbon footprint.
The good news is that their is financial help available if you are planning to make energy saving improvements to your home. The Government, energy suppliers and local authorities all provide grants to help you add energy saving measures in your home.
The Governemt
The UK Government funds schemes providing up to £2,700 in grants to households on certain benefits to improve their heating and energy efficiency and to help them save money by cutting down on their heating and electric bills. In England this scheme is known as
Warm Front, in Northern Ireland it is known as
Warm Homes, in Scotland it is called the
Warm Deal and the
Central Heating Programme and in Wales it is known as the
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme.
To be eligable for one of these grants you must meet one of the following criteria:
You are 60 years or older and are in receipt of one or more benefits. Benefits include: income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, job seekers allowance and pension credit.
or
You have a child under 16 or you are pregnant and have been given maternity MAT B1 and are also in receipt of benefits such as income support, council tax benefit etc.
or
You are in receipt of one or more benefits such as disability living allowance, child tax credit with an income of less than £15,460, housing benefit and disability premium etc.
Energy Suppliers
Because of the UK Government's Energy Efficiency Commitment energy suppliers with a certain number of customers operating in Great Britain are obliged (have to) to achieve targets for improving home energy efficiency of their customers. The gas and electric suppliers will therefore provide a range of offers and deals which will help significantly reduce the cost of installing energy efficiency measures. Energy suppliers may offer you cheap deals on gas condenser boilers, energy efficient light bulbs, home insulation and more.
Most Local authorities in the UK also provide grants and offers for residents to install certain energy efficiency measures in their home.