Residents invited to come forward for free insulation scheme

Article dated Wednesday Jul 5, 2023 at 05:21 PM

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People are being invited to come forward to apply for free insulation which will make their homes warmer, more energy-efficient and reduce carbon emissions.

Phase 3 of the Local Area Delivery (LAD) Green Homes Grant is the result of a successful bid by Bradford Council for a £5.3m share of Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Sustainable Warmth Fund last year.

The grant means that work can be carried out completely free of charge to residents. It involves fully insulating attic space, plastering and redecorating the area, installing trickle vents in the windows for air flow and, if needed, providing mechanical insulation to bathrooms, such as an extractor fan. The scheme is being carried out in partnership with energy experts Better Homes Yorkshire and Eclipse Energy.

To qualify, households need to meet criteria set by the Government, including a total income of less than £30k and their homes need to be surveyed to ensure they are suitable for the work. 

The measures will improve the properties’ EPC ratings (a measurement of energy efficiency in buildings with A being extremely energy efficient and G being not at all energy efficient) 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 McHale family in Keighley had the work done last year under Phase 2 of the scheme. The work involved 62.5mm of insulation and plasterboard (combined) being added to the walls of two attic bedrooms and a staircase at their 1900s stone terraced home.

It has enabled them to turn their thermostat down by two degrees, saving money on energy bills and making the home feel warmer. Their daughter is also enjoying her much warmer attic bedroom.

Sue McHale said: “Making energy improvements to our home was something we’d been considering anyway and we’d actually never considered getting our attic room insulated but now it makes perfect sense. With energy bills rising we are reassured we have taken some simple steps to help keep costs as low as possible.

“The work was carried out quickly, in under two weeks, and the team was able to work around our family’s routine – we have two children with additional needs so it was important to us that any disruption was kept to a minimum.”

“This has now spurred us on to look at other energy improvements such as solar panels and I’d encourage anyone else to take advantage of the free insulation scheme – there really is no catch!”

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places, said: “As we all know, energy bills are not going to go down any time soon and now is a good time to prepare for the colder months later in the year. This scheme is a great opportunity for anyone meeting the criteria to get this work done. As Mrs McHale has said, there is no catch.”

Anyone interested in applying for the scheme can look at: www.betterhomesyorkshire.co.uk or call Eclipse Energy direct on 01422 414850, or email sales@eclipseenergy.co.uk

The scheme is in its final stages, so anyone wanting to apply needs to do so in the next few weeks to ensure the funding is available.

Pictured above: Sue McHale in her daughter's newly insulated attic bedroom.

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