New data reveals that Edinburgh North and Leith residents would be able to save an estimated average of £1,294 through Government-funded home insulation and heat pump installation
On weekends throughout February and March, Greenpeace Edinburgh spoke to people in Edinburgh about their energy bills, and the solutions to the cost of living and climate crisis.
Residents wrote eight messages to Deirdre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, about their worries. These messages will be delivered next week, as part of the Warm This Winter mass lobby.
Local people also used the Affordable Energy Calculator [1] to see how much money they would save on their energy bills if our homes were well insulated and had cheaper, cleaner energy.
Carrie from Newhaven wrote: ‘Help to combat energy costs has helped but costs are still too high. Funding for new home-owners to help insulate windows is needed.’
Mark, a resident in North Edinburgh, wrote: ‘It would be great to see someone in the government stand up for lower energy bills and preparing homes for becoming sustainable and economical to maintain.’
Another local, Ros, wrote: ‘We need to prioritise those who need help during this time and make the cost of living crisis a lot more manageable than it currently is.’
Ian, a volunteer from Leith said: ‘The messages that people in Edinburgh North and Leith have written to Deirdre Brock MP show how people are still having to choose between heating and eating.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need the Government to commit more money for home insulation and heat pumps to make our homes warmer, our bills cheaper and our carbon emissions lower.’
Keeping the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 per month rather than raising it to £3000 is welcome but 7.5 million households in the UK will continue to be in fuel poverty from 1st April. If the Government makes the investment necessary to meet their currently unfunded 2030 targets for insulation, and support a UK heat pump programme, a typical UK home would see a difference of £1,832 a year, with savings ranging from around six hundred to several thousand pounds.
Data from the Affordable Energy Calculator shows that people in Edinburgh North and Leith could save an estimated average of £1,294 on their energy bills by 2030.
Hugh who lives in this constituency said: “‘I live in a rented flat in Leith and I was amazed to see that I would save £1,083 on my energy bill in 2030 if my home was properly insulated and was powered by a heat pump.
“I’d definitely recommend checking out the Affordable Energy Calculator to see how much you could save if the Government funded a UK-wide home insulation and heat pump programme.’
Ian added: “On 31st March, Greenpeace volunteers and other constituents have invited Deirdre Brock to meet as part of the Warm This Winter Coalition’s mass lobby.
“We are asking Deirdre Brock to pledge to call for the expansion of Government-funded home insulation schemes, heat pump installation, more investment in renewable energy, and further support for vulnerable households with their energy bills.
“If you live in Edinburgh North and Leith, we’d love for you to join us in inviting Deirdre Brock to meet, or if you live elsewhere, check out the online map [below] to see if a meeting has already been organised with your MP.”
New measures set to help hundreds of thousands better insulate their homes and reduce consumption while saving families hundreds of pounds each year
New £1 billion ECO+ scheme will see hundreds of thousands of homes across the country receive new home insulation, saving consumers around £310 a year
ECO+ will extend support to those in the least energy efficient homes in the lower Council Tax bands, as well as targeting the most vulnerable
a new £18 million campaign will give the public advice on how they can save hundreds on their own bills without sacrificing comfort
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps today (Monday 28 November) launches a government push to help millions of people across the country bring down their energy costs for this winter and beyond.
It is part of wider action this week across energy policy to help the UK meet its ambition of becoming energy independent.
Under plans announced today, the new ECO+ scheme will extend support to those who do not currently benefit from any other government support to upgrade their homes. Joining the existing £6.6 billion ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes this new £1 billion funding will ensure hundreds of thousands more households benefit from new home insulation and with that, lower bills.
Plus a new £18 million public information campaign will also offer technical tips and advice for people to cut their energy use, while also keeping warm this winter. Alongside the impact on their bills from the Energy Price Guarantee, the campaign will demonstrate how consumers can make significant savings.
Of the £1 billion funding available through the new ECO+ scheme, around 80% of the funding will be made available for those households who are in some of the least energy-efficient homes in the country – that is, those with an EPC rating of D or below – and in the lower Council Tax bands.
This will benefit those households who do not currently benefit from any other government support to upgrade their homes. Around a fifth of the fund will also be targeted to those who are the most vulnerable, including those on means tested benefits or in fuel poverty.
On top of this, the government will significantly expand its Help for Households campaign to help customers to reduce their own household energy usage and bills, while also giving vulnerable groups the right information for doing this without harming their health.
This includes promoting some of the government’s top recommended actions to help households save money on their energy bills, such as:
reducing the temperature a boiler heats water to before it is sent to radiators (known as the boiler flow temperature) from 75⁰C to 60⁰C
turning down radiators in empty rooms
reducing heating loss from the property such as by draught proofing windows and doors
It also comes ahead of the Business and Energy Secretary setting out his latest package of measures to deliver home-grown, affordable energy – helping to cut bills and bolster the country’s long-term energy security and independence.
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The government put immediate help in place to support households in the wake of global energy price rises caused by Putin’s illegal march on Ukraine. Today, we launch the first of many measures to ensure the British public are never put in this position again as we work towards an energy independent future.
“A new ECO scheme will enable thousands more to insulate their homes, protecting the pounds in their pockets, and creating jobs across the country.
“And in the short term, our new public information campaign will also give people the tools they need to reduce their energy use while keeping warm this winter.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “With Putin’s war driving up gas prices worldwide, I know many families are feeling worried about their energy bills this winter and beyond. Our extensive energy support package is insulating people from the worst of this crisis, but we’re also supporting people to permanently cut their costs.
“In the longer term, we need to make Britain more energy independent by generating more clean, affordable, home-grown power, but we also need more efficient homes and buildings.
“Our new ECO+ scheme will help hundreds of thousands of people across the UK to better insulate their homes to reduce consumption, with the added benefit of saving families hundreds of pounds each year.”
Making homes more energy efficient is the best way to cut household energy use and is already helping reduce household energy bills, while also creating jobs across the country.
Since it was launched in January 2013, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) schemes have delivered as many as 3.5 million energy-efficiency measures in around 2.4 million homes. The ECO+ scheme, which will run from spring 2023 for up to 3 years, extends that support even further and will see hundreds of thousands of households receive new insulation, saving them around £310 a year.
By rolling out predominantly low-cost insulation measures such as loft insulation and cavity wall insulation, the ECO+ scheme will support the government’s new ambition to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030. The £1 billion scheme is backed by a new £6 billion investment to contribute to the existing £6.6 billion energy efficiency funding pot.
The new funding pot will also provide long-term funding certainty across for the industry, supporting the growth of supply chains and green jobs in the sector, as the government takes further action to tackle fuel poverty and reduce energy bills.
Improving the energy efficiency of UK homes is a crucial part of the government’s strategy. Thanks to government support so far, the number of homes with an energy efficiency rating of C or above is at 46% and rising, up from just 13% in 2010.
The UK Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this Parliament to help decarbonise homes and buildings, and to ensure all homes meet EPC band C by 2035. An additional £6 billion of new government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. Further details on allocation of additional funding will follow in due course.
To further support households and help meet the government’s new energy demand reduction target, the government has also expanded its public awareness campaign to help reduce bills for households and protect vulnerable people over the winter and beyond.
Backed by £18 million, this campaign will complement existing government support schemes. such as the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme and the information provided will save households money.
For example, if a typical household reduced their boiler flow temperature from 75⁰C to 60⁰C and turned down radiators in empty rooms, they could save £160 a year on their energy bill at current prices. This also has the benefit of reducing the temperature a boiler heats water to before sending it to radiators, while making no difference to the temperature a room is actually heated to.
Information will be available on the existing Help for Households website.
