Council to support installation of energy efficiency measures in homes

North Tyneside Council has been awarded £3.7million to support the installation of energy efficiency measures in homes, and it could help to save residents hundreds of pounds per year on their energy bills.

The council has committed to working towards being carbon net zero and has a number of ambitious targets in place to help reduce the borough’s carbon footprint. 

And now, as part of the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, funding has been issued to the council to support residents, alongside its delivery partner E.ON by improving the energy efficiency rating of privately-owned homes and helping reduce energy bills.

The funding will be made available to homeowners with a gross household income of less than £30,000 per year, or if someone in your home receives a means tested benefit such as Universal Credit. Your home’s energy rating EPC must also be D, E, F or G. If you don’t have a rating, E.ON can arrange this for you.

Measures being installed in homes include:

  • Solar PV panels
  • Loft, under floor and external wall insulations
  • Hybrid air source heat pumps
  • Smart heating controls.

Speaking on the funding, Cllr John Harrison, cabinet member with responsibility for Housing, said: “We have made a commitment as a council to work towards being carbon net zero by 2030, and while we are doing all we can, the council only makes up around two per cent of North Tyneside’s carbon emissions, so to make this possible we need buy-in from everyone.

“That is why I am delighted that we are going to be using this funding to support our residents. These measures would usually cost thousands of pounds to install in homes, but thanks to this funding we are able to do it at no additional cost to the homeowner.

“The cost of living and energy bills across the country has continued to rise at a rate which is quite simply unmanageable for many families. This scheme will allow us to help a number of residents get the cost of their energy bills down, as well as helping reduce the borough’s carbon emissions.”

Sarah Farmer, Director of Residential Solutions at E.ON, said: “Improving the energy efficiency of homes is not only key to meeting the nation’s net zero targets, it can also dramatically improve people’s living conditions by helping to make their homes warmer and reduce their energy use.

“We’re really pleased to be bringing these benefits to households across parts of North Tyneside as we work with the council to install energy efficiency measures in the homes of eligible residents.”

This round of funding will be the third phase of this scheme, which has so far seen 576 energy measures installed across council and privately-owned homes.

Anyone interested who thinks they may be eligible can check the criteria here, or by contacting the Green Homes Grant team at E.ON on 0333 202 4820. You do not need to be an E.ON customer to apply.

Since the local authority declared a climate emergency back in 2019 – and more recently announced its ambitions to work towards being carbon net zero by 2030 – a range of interventions have been delivered or are underway to reduce both the council’s and the borough’s carbon footprints.

It includes energy efficiency and energy generation measures in council homes and buildings; major steps forward in active and sustainable travel; further improvements to recycling; increasing planting of biodiversity areas and trees; electrifying appropriate council vehicles; and more.

And encouragingly, last year the council announced significant reductions in the amount of carbon emissions that had been achieved, with savings of 52 per cent for the council and 41 per cent for the borough as a whole.

You can find more information on the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, as well as what other energy grants are available here.

ENDS