The biggest crisis that our borough currently faces is the rapidly rising cost of energy. It is affecting all of us and pushing thousands of local families into fuel poverty.
Inaction by the zombie Government in Westminster really isn’t helping. However, your local Labour councillors are extremely concerned and lots of different local measures are being put in place to ensure that when the council finds an opportunity help, it does so quickly.
One such new opportunity is the release of a £3.7 million fund to help households in North Tyneside to become more energy efficient. You probably know that all homes have an energy performance rating from A (best) to G (worst). A lot of our local housing stock is old and leaky. Historically this wasn’t seen as a problem as fuel was relatively cheap. However, the massive increase in gas prices means that the difference in cost to heat a poorly-insulated home vs a well-insulated home is getting bigger and bigger. Recent research reveals that come 2023 F/G rated homes will be spending up to £2000 a year more on energy costs that the equivalent C rated homes. (see graph below from Dr. Simon Evans at Carbon Brief).
The grant funding, which comes from a national fund known as the Green Home Grants scheme. The council have successfully accessed this funding working with energy provider E-On. Note – you don’t have to be an E-On customer to benefit. There are however a number of eligibility boxes that you have to tick in order to access the money though. This is to ensure that the funding goes to the households in greatest financial difficulty and the homes that are most in need of retrofitting measures.
I would definitely recommend checking your eligibility as it could save you thousands of pounds. Use this link to check now via the E-On website or phone the Green Homes Grant team at E.ON on 0333 202 4820.
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