Cumbria’s two councils have won a bid for £12.4 million to upgrade homes in the county.
The scheme will provide energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating to 600 low-income homes.
Measures available to eligible residents include loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and air sourced heat pumps.
The funding is exclusively available to off-gas-grid homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of band D, E, F or G. To ensure that the grant is provided to those who need it the most, the scheme is targeted towards residents who are on a low income, those suffering from fuel poverty, referred by the Citizens Advice Bureau, and vulnerable residents suffering from health conditions which are vulnerable to the cold, referred by the NHS.
The project is set to start this month and run until April 2025.
A spokesman on behalf of Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, said, “This significant win will enable each of us to continue our ongoing efforts to make homes in the area more energy efficient and to reduce carbon emissions.
“By offering energy-saving measures to eligible residents, we’ll help our residents to make their homes more comfortable and reduce their carbon footprint.”
The funding has been allocated as part of the Government’s UK Net Zero programme, which seeks to phase out high-carbon heating for homes off the mains gas grid, whilst ensuring that such policies do not negatively impact fuel poor households.
Eligible residents will shortly be contacted directly by their local Council to arrange upgrades to their homes.
