The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is today urging Londoners living in cold, poorly insulated homes to apply for grants from his £43m Warmer Homes programme. Thevital support comes as
Londoners face an unprecedented cost of living crisis, with Ofgem now estimating bills will increase by another 40 per cent, or £800 in October.
This week, the Mayor and local councils are writing to eligible households inviting them to register for the scheme, which will make grants of between £5,000 to £25,000 available to low-income households to make homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run. Warmer Homes has successfully secured match funding from energy suppliers through the Energy Company Obligation and from boroughs.
Funding is available for low-income households living in low energy efficiency homes. Including grants available for measures like:
· Heat pumps
· Insulation for walls, lofts and floors
· Heating system improvements or repairs
· Draughtproofing
· Solar energy installations
While the Mayor welcomes the Government’s U-turn on introducing a windfall levy on energy companies - something he has called for repeatedly – he believes the Government must urgently take further action to help the most vulnerable with more money off their energy bills to pay the £800 increase; raise benefits by the actual level of record inflation as soon as possible and restore the universal credit £20 a week uplift.
The £43m of Warmer Homes funding comes on top of £20m delivered through the scheme since 2018, which was a mixture of Mayoral and government funding. The dramatic increase in City Hall support shows Sadiq’s clear commitment to ensuring Londoners live in warm, insulated homes, and ensuring which is crucial as energy bills rise.
As part of the programme, the Mayor offers a Warmer Homes Advice Service which provides fuel poverty advice and referrals. To date, it has supported over 14,700 households, across all 33 boroughs in London.
Fuel Poverty is also a major environmental health challenge in London. One in ten households in the capital are struggling to afford to pay their energy bills and heat their homes during the winter months. To help tackle this, the Mayor set up the Fuel Poverty Partnership, working together with experts across the health, social justice and environment sectors to guide London’s work on fuel poverty.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: It’s unacceptable that many Londoners can’t afford to keep their homes warm, instead suffering cold, damp conditions throughout winter. With the unprecedented cost of living crisis and soaring energy prices, I am particularly concerned about those on lower incomes whose energy bills are likely to take up a larger share of their outgoings.
“That’s why today I’m committing a further £43m of funding through my Warmer Homes programme, which will help low-income households make their homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run and build a better London for everyone. I’m proud to be helping deliver long term solutions to avoid future crises and protect Londoners in stark contrast the Governments short-term sticking plaster approach.
“While I welcome the Government’s U-turn on the energy company windfall tax, Ministers must do more, starting with restoring the universal credit £20 a week uplift and increasing benefits by the actual level of record inflation as soon as possible.”
Peter Smith, Director of Policy and Advocacy at National Energy Action, said: "One of the main reasons people are so exposed to the energy crisis is the inefficiency of homes. It couldn't be a more vital time to be scaling up retrofit or bringing key stakeholders together to tackle the energy crisis. Without greater resources and coordination, this winter will be exceptionally bleak for low-income and vulnerable Londoners. We are grateful to be working in partnership with Mayor, his team and the other key members of the Fuel Poverty Partnership at this key time. More than ever we hope that collectively we can help protect people's wealth, health and well-being this year.” Photo by U.S. Embassy London, Wikimedia commons.