SWINDON Borough Council is helping to insulate homes and repair roofs so residents can keep their energy bills down during the cost of living crisis.
After the Adver highlighted research indicating which of the area's neighbourhoods could be hit hardest by October's increased energy cap, the local authority has laid out the support available for those who are strugglign.
Councillor Cathy Martyn is the Cabinet member for health inequalities and housing.
She said: “Helping residents most at risk of rising energy costs is a top priority for the council and we are committed to improving sustainability, carbon reduction and thermal efficiency in all our properties.
“Under the Local Authority Delivery scheme, £750,000 has been spent installing solar panels on 96 council homes in the Borough, helping residents at this crucial time with rising energy costs by saving them up to £540 per year on energy bills. A further 15 homes are also on a waiting list for solar panels.
“This year, £620,000 will be spent installing UPVC double glazing.
In the Railway Village, where the listing status makes it more challenging to improve the Energy Performance Certificate of the buildings, we are piloting a scheme to install secondary window glazing in some properties, with the aim of rolling it out to the rest of the village.
“Our repairs and maintenance team has renewed 221 roofs on council properties, which included upgrading insulation to keep the homes warm, and next July we will have installed external wall insulation in a further 49 homes within the Borough.
“So far, 19,923 vouchers have been given to those households that need it most totalling £1,030,594 via the Household Support Fund.
"The majority of the funding distributed has taken the form of energy or water vouchers (almost £870,000), while 8,997 food vouchers were also handed out at a cost of £136,000."
The HSF paid for a pilot scheme to distribute 60 slow cookers to residents to help cook nutritious and energy efficient meals.
The council will be submitting an application for wave 2.1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which will allocate up to £800 million of funding to support the installation of energy performance measures in social homes in England.
Warm and Safe Wiltshire is holding two drop-in sessions where residents can get free energy advice from experts. Details: https://bit.ly/3Rz4JHd
Check the council’s cost of living web page, which highlights 18 practical things that people can do to reduce their bills: www.swindon.gov.uk/costofliving
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