Give your home an energy MOT with new online advice service
A new website providing homeowners with recommendations that could help save them hundreds of pounds a year on bills is being launched by the government.
- New website acts as a home energy MOT, providing tailored, impartial recommendations on upgrades that could help households improve energy efficiency
- making improvements to energy efficiency is one of the simplest ways to cut energy use and can deliver immediate and lasting savings as well as being greener
- service complements government investment in energy efficiency through Help to Heat schemes, which combined with the expanded Energy Company Obligation scheme, totals £12 billion
A new website providing homeowners with a home energy MOT, providing recommendations that could help save them hundreds of pounds a year on bills, is being launched by the government today.
It will offer guidance to homeowners on ways to improve the energy performance of their homes by upgrading with things like loft and wall insulation and double glazing.
It also links to advice on installing low carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps, and how to access government grants of £5,000 that will allow homeowners to ditch boilers powered by fossil fuels that have seen price rises driven by pressures on global markets.
The new online service, which is being launched on the GOV.UK website, offers people impartial recommendations showing how to improve their home’s energy performance.
It is a simple-to-use interactive service where users enter details about their home and receive recommendations tailored to their individual circumstances so they can cut their energy consumption and make their homes greener.
Today’s website launch will complement investment the government is providing during the current Parliament through its Help to Heat schemes, which combined with the expanded Energy Company Obligation scheme, is totalling around £12 billion across 700,000 homes.
Help to Heat schemes include the £800 million committed to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in the Heat and Buildings Strategy, along with £950 million for the Home Upgrade Grant, which are already delivering energy efficiency upgrades for tens of thousands of low-income households.
The government has also promised to extend the Energy Company Obligation scheme until 2026, boosting its value to £1 billion a year and helping hundreds of thousands of families with energy-saving measures, which will deliver average energy bill savings of around £300 a year.
Business and Energy Minister Lord Callanan said:
The cheapest energy is the energy that you don’t use, and by making simple improvements to the energy performance of their homes, people can see immediate and lasting savings on their bills.
With global pressures pushing up fossil fuel prices, it has never been more important to make our homes more energy efficient. This website provides a new and trusted source of information where homeowners can give their property an energy MOT and get clear, impartial advice.
It builds on the £6.6 billion the government is investing to improve the energy efficiency of homes through our Help to Heat schemes where we are helping low-income households make their properties not only warmer, but cheaper to keep warm.
A further £5.4 billion is available through the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which we have expanded until 2026 and is delivering average energy bill savings of around £300 a year for those who need it most.
Some of the simplest upgrades can be the most effective and now is the time to act to make sure your home is ready for the colder months. I am urging homeowners to get online, use this new website and see the changes you can make now that could save you hundreds of pounds on your bills this winter.
Notes to editors
- The new energy advice website can be found here.
- the government committed to set up the new energy advice website in the British Energy Security Strategy
- as part of the landmark Heat and Buildings Strategy, the UK government is investing more than £3.9 billion of new funding to decarbonise heat and buildings across the country between 2022 and 2025. This brings capital spending on buildings decarbonization over the lifetime of Parliament to £6.6 billion
- the Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out how the government is prioritising the most vulnerable in society, ensuring that those on low income and/or at greater risk of fuel poverty are able to access energy efficiency measures and not be left behind
- the government is providing home decarbonisation support to those vulnerable and fuel poor through a range of schemes, including:
- providing £950 million in additional funding for the Home Upgrade Grant
- committing a further £800 million to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to improve the energy performance of social rented homes across England