A new range of grants has been launched for residents who live in the West Berkshire area, to help towards the cost of boiler upgrades, full central heating, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Heat Berkshire has already been offering these grants in other areas of the county, and last year more than 500 Berkshire residents received a new boiler through the service.
Steve Ardagh-Walter, West Berkshire Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, said: “In West Berkshire you are likely to be eligible for a grant if you are on benefits, or if your household income – after tax and after deducting your mortgage or rent and energy bills – is less than £35,000. This means that residents of poorly insulated homes, or people who have inefficient and expensive heating, may be able to save money through a grant.”
“As well as helping to lower household expenditure and reduce fuel poverty, this scheme is a welcome step in reducing the district’s carbon footprint, and I encourage residents who meet the qualification criteria and are looking to improve or update their home heating or insulation to apply.”
Grants are available for people who own their home for boiler upgrades, first time central heating installation and insulation. Tenants and landlords of privately rented properties are also eligible for grants for central heating and insulation (regardless of the tenants’ income) provided that the home has an energy performance certificate rating of A to E, however rented homes are not eligible for boiler upgrades. In many cases the works are completely free of charge, although central heating grants are likely to require a partial contribution from the property owner.
The central heating grants are available for people who currently have no heating system. This includes using open fires or plug in electric heaters, or for people who wish to switch from electric storage heaters to a full radiator heating system. Grant funding can also be provided towards the cost of a new mains gas connection or, in rural areas, the new heating system can be fuelled from bottled gas, and in some cases, by a ground source heat pump.
Residents of West Berkshire wishing to know more or looking to take advantage of these heating and insulation grants can call Heat Berkshire on 01344 515 045, or go to www.heatBerkshire.co.uk. All works are subject to survey, eligibility criteria and the total pot of funding available.
