Wiltshire Council working with EDF to offer free energy efficiency retrofits to residents on low incomes in off-gas domestic properties

The council has been successful in securing more than £1.7m as part of the government's Department of Energy Security and Net Zero's Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 scheme. This additional funding will allow the council to support retrofitting owner-occupied and privately rented homes that are not connected to mains gas and have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of band D-G, subject to household income levels.

The council is now seeking representations from households who meet the criteria for the retrofit. To be eligible, households must be off-gas domestic properties and either:

• Owner-occupied by those on a low income (defined as having an annual gross household income of less than £36,000) who will not be required to contribute to the costs of upgrade
• Private landlords who own four or fewer rental properties and have low-income tenants. Landlords are required to make a minimum contribution of one third towards the total cost of works, in line with the scheme's cost caps.

Households can check they if they are eligible and apply at https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/hug. To ensure works can be carried by the funding deadline and to make use of the funding available, people are encouraged to apply before the beginning of November 2024.

Cllr Dominic Muns, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: We want this funding to help those who need it most, and bringing in EDF as an experienced specialist provider will help to ensure that.

This project is a unique opportunity to help those on low incomes in off-gas domestic properties access energy efficiency measures free of charge which will likely save them money in the long run and also contribute towards the county's climate goals. It supports our Business Plan priority of leading the way in how councils and counties mitigate the climate challenges ahead and if successful, will help us to attract more funding for more projects like this in the future.

I encourage anyone who is eligible for this funding to register their interest to find out more about the retrofits EDF can make to their household free of charge. This is also a fantastic opportunity for landlords who own four or fewer rental properties and have low-income tenants, as these landlords only need to pay one third of the total cost of works that will increase the energy efficiency and longevity of their properties.

Dan Hopcroft, Zero Carbon Homes Director at EDF, said: EDF is proud to be partnering with Wiltshire Council to deliver the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG scheme). Through the scheme we'll be helping people save cash and carbon by providing free energy efficiency upgrades to homes with low Energy Performance Certificate ratings and properties that do not use gas to heat homes. Together, we're making homes in Wiltshire more energy efficient and affordable to keep warm.

A whole house retrofit takes each house in its own right and considers the fabric, the heating and hot water requirements, ventilation and the people living in the property to establish the correct energy efficiency measures to implement for that individual property.

Some of the measures deployed to retrofit a property include:

• Energy efficiency measures such as wall and loft insulation.
• Low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps.
• Renewable technologies such as solar PV.
• Smart measures such as smart heating controls.