Free help with heating bills

29 November 2011

Are you worried about energy bills? Do you want to cut the cost of heating your home? If the answer is ‘yes’, then help is at hand.

Kent County Council is promoting a scheme from the Energy Saving Trust – a charity that offers free, impartial and independent advice – making it easier for people to keep warm and save money at the same time. 

The scheme, which is funded by Government, promotes energy-saving measures, such as cavity wall and loft insulation. These can be professionally installed in a few hours at heavily discounted rates or even free if you are on certain benefits.

Leader of Kent County Council, Paul Carter, said:

“Winter is fast approaching. Energy prices are rising across the board, typically by 11% over the past year. Insulating an average house can lead to savings of £250 a year – but this can rise to as much as £450 a year in some cases."

“This is a complete win for Kent residents – an intelligent scheme designed to help people save money and keep warm.”

Mr Carter said saving energy and reducing fuel bills was a key element of Kent’s environment strategy, ‘Growing the Garden of England: A strategy for environment and economy in Kent’, which blends the county’s economic needs with those of the countryside, landscape and heritage.

Mr Carter said:

“Reducing the energy and water requirements of our homes is vital. We should not only do this for new houses, because 80% of the housing that we will occupy within 80 years already exists."

“We have been calling for a major programme of retrofitting energy and water saving measures in existing homes. This scheme can bring widespread benefit to people across the county. Everyone is entitled to a discount whatever their income. Some will benefit more than others – in particular vulnerable, elderly residents, who may get some help, even new boilers, for no charge at all.”

Much of the work generated by the scheme will be carried out by local businesses. Mr Carter said that this would have an additional benefit:

“Increasing the take up of insulation can have the knock on effect of creating a new retrofit business sector in Kent and increasing the demand for other low carbon technologies and services.”

The funding will end in autumn next year, resulting in an increase in prices for measures, such as cavity wall insulation, so you need to act now. The Energy Savings Trust can also provide a free home energy check.

For more information visit ways to stay warmer for less this winter.