£2.5m for county homes: will you be eligible?
Herefordshire plans to spend nearly £2.5 million of Government cash to make around 200 households more energy-efficient and sustainable over the next three years.
The sum of £2,485,440 from Warm Homes Local Grant will mean an average of £12,400 being spent per home, 'with no resident contribution required', Herefordshire Council said – though householders will be responsible for maintaining installed systems.
These are likely to involve replacing broken and inefficient heating systems with renewable air source heat pump systems, as well as installing wall insulation, double glazing and insulated doors.
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It could also extend to loft and underfloor insulation as well as solar panels – though not to fossil fuel-powered heating systems – and will be delivered by the council's current contractors.
To qualify, households need a low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D to G – which is thought to apply to more than half of all Herefordshire households, with such assessments also being funded.
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Park homes, which are not EPC-rated, are also covered.
Residents' combined gross annual income can also be no more than £36,000.
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Fuel poverty 'remains a significant issue in Herefordshire', affecting nearly one in five households compared to 13 per cent nationally, the council said.
It put this down to 'a combination of low incomes, above average numbers of older, hard-to-treat properties and poor coverage of the mains gas network' – leading to heating systems that are less cost-effective and less sustainable.
The spending will also help the council 'progress towards [its] 2030 net-zero carbon ambition for the county', it said.
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