Eco+ Scheme to Fund Loft Insulation

A NEW £1 billion ECO+ scheme to insulate homes and reduce consumption was announced by government.

The scheme will provide free home insulation to the value of around £310 a year to the least energy efficient homes with an EPC rating of D or below in the lower Council Tax bands. Additionally, a £18m campaign will give the public advice on saving energy.

The ECO+ scheme will extend the existing £6.6 billion ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes. It will benefit households which do not currently receive any other government support to upgrade their homes. Around a fifth of the fund will be targeted at people on means tested benefits or who are in fuel poverty.

The £18m Help for Households campaign will promote recommended actions to help households save money on their energy bills, such as:

• • reducing the temperature a boiler heats water to before it is sent to radiators (known as the boiler flow temperature) from 75⁰C to 60⁰C
  • turning down radiators in empty rooms
  • reducing heating loss, such as by draught proofing windows and doors

Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The government put immediate help in place to support households in the wake of global energy price rises caused by Putin’s illegal march on Ukraine. Today, we launch the first of many measures to ensure the British public are never put in this position again as we work towards an energy independent future.

“A new ECO scheme will enable thousands more to insulate their homes, protecting the pounds in their pockets, and creating jobs across the country.”

ECO+ Scheme

Since it was launched in January 2013, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) schemes have delivered 3.5 million energy-efficiency measures in around 2.4 million homes. The ECO+ scheme, which will run from spring 2023 for up to 3 years.

By rolling out predominantly low-cost insulation measures such as loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, the ECO+ scheme will support the government’s ambition to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030. The £1 billion scheme is backed by a new £6 billion investment to contribute to the existing £6.6 billion energy efficiency funding pot.

The number of homes with an energy efficiency rating of C or above is at 46%, up from just 13% in 2010. The target is for all homes to meet EPC band C by 2035. An additional £6 billion of new government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028.

A new energy demand reduction target was announced at the Autumn Statement to reduce energy demand by 15% by 2030. The £6 billion of funding for this target will be made available from 2025 to 2028.

A consultation has been launched on Eco+ from 28 November to 23 December, 2022.

INDUSTRY COMMENT

Falls Short

Simon Allford, RIBA President

RIBA President Simon Allford said: “As the world grapples with the climate crisis and soaring energy prices, additional funding to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock is welcome a step in the right direction.

Whilst today’s announcement fills some of the funding gap in the owner-occupier sector it still falls short of the comprehensive National Retrofit Strategy we have long been calling for.

We will be responding to the consultation to ensure ECO+ works effectively and avoids the pitfalls of previous schemes. It’s crucial we get this right – for both people and the planet. We will continue to work with policy makers to ensure this becomes reality.”

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