Mansfield District Council is inviting people to come forward and apply for free insulation, which will make their homes warmer, more energy-efficient and reduce carbon emissions.
A successful bid to Phase 3 of the Green Homes Grant Local Area Delivery Scheme (LAD) has allowed for an additional £200,000 for local residents to be made available from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Sustainable Warmth Fund. This is in addition to £770,000 awarded in 2022.
The grant means that work can be carried out completely free of charge to residents. It involves fully insulating attic space, insulating cavities (where available) and where properties do not have a cavity then external wall insulation may also be available.
To be eligible for the grant, applicants must own their own home, have a household income of less than £31,000 and live in a property with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G.
It is anticipated that the measures will improve properties’ EPC ratings by up to two bands – reducing a household’s annual energy bills and, in a lifetime, saving 75.26 tonnes of carbon per property.
The deadline to apply is 7 August 2023.
Councillor Anne Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “Installing energy-efficient home improvements is an excellent way to reduce household energy bills and carbon emissions. We know these measures can be expensive and, without support, could be out of reach for many low-income households.
“Our housing team has done a fantastic job securing this funding to help hundreds of eligible residents heat their homes more efficiently, cut their energy bills and support the town in tackling the climate emergency.
“With spiralling energy costs, it is more important than ever that support is available for people to make their homes more energy efficient and affordable to heat. We will do everything we can to attract and continue securing the funding we need to help make that possible.”
The Green Homes Grant scheme has been running since 2020, and the council has so far successfully secured funds totalling over £2 million to deliver energy-saving measures to low-income homeowners throughout the district.
The council formally declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has since developed a strategy and action plan to meet its target of being a carbon-neutral authority by 2040.
It has since taken major decisions to promote a greener way of life in the district. These include building new council housing to higher energy efficiency standards than currently required by building control rules and opening up more green spaces in the town centre to add vibrancy.
For further information and to apply, please contact Mansfield District Council on 01623 463702 or email [email protected].
To find the EPC rating for your home, please visit www.epcregister.com (opens in new window).
