Issue - meetings

Help to Heat and ECO Scheme

Meeting: 24/09/2020 - Executive (Item 27)

27 Help to Heat and ECO Scheme pdf icon PDF 314 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

That:

 

1)        the Help to Heat Scheme be approved in order that the Chief Executive can sign-off Wokingham Borough Council’s ‘ECO FLEX Statement of Intent’.  This will enable the Statement of Intent to be published on the Council’s website;

 

2)        the use of the wider national ECO scheme, including the advertisement to residents of their ability to access ECO grant funds, be approved.

Minutes:

The Executive considered a report setting out a proposal for a Help to Heat and ECO Scheme; the aim of which was to facilitate a widespread uptake of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding to ensure that energy efficiency measures were installed in as many eligible households within the Borough as possible.

 

The Executive Member for Resident Services, Communications and Emissions advised the meeting that improving the energy efficiency of some of the Council’s least efficient homes would help reduce carbon and waste energy usage.  Councillor Murray also drew the meeting’s attention to the fact that one in ten households in the UK were affected by fuel poverty and this programme aimed to help alleviate the effect of this.  Funding home upgrades would improve the energy efficiency of homes and consequently dramatically cut home energy costs. 

 

Members were informed that across the Borough there were approximately 18,000 houses with an energy rating of E, F and G; the three lowest EPC energy efficiency ratings.  The difference between heating identically sized three bedroomed houses rated G versus D was £516 per year i.e. £43 per month and a 27% saving.  Unfortunately many of these E, F and G houses were currently part of the HRA stock and were occupied by some of the lowest income, most vulnerable, eldest or most at risk in the community.   

 

Councillor Murray confirmed that the intention was to access the Energy Companies Obligation Fund and use that money to pay for energy saving upgrades to properties.  There would be no cost to the resident and they would keep all of the savings generated by the upgrades.  As part of the scheme areas where it was known that fuel poverty existed would be specifically targeted with hand delivered letters advertising the scheme and inviting them to apply.  There would also be an extensive media and PR campaign.  Using the Energy Companies Obligation Fund could potentially help up to 400 houses across the Borough this year with potential to help more homes in the future. 

 

Members thanked the Officers who had investigated this proposal and who had worked diligently in order to bring the proposal forward.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1)        the Help to Heat Scheme be approved in order that the Chief Executive can sign-off Wokingham Borough Council’s ‘ECO FLEX Statement of Intent’.  This will enable the Statement of Intent to be published on the Council’s website;

 

2)        the use of the wider national ECO scheme, including the advertisement to residents of their ability to access ECO grant funds, be approved.