Nutritious Food
The Borough Council’s ‘Lily’ service is running Food for Thought sessions in North Lynn and South Lynn this year. These drop-in sessions will show how to make healthy and nutritious meals on a budget, find cheaper supermarket swaps, batch cook, make healthy ‘fake-aways’ and more.
For dates and details: Food for Thought website (asklily.org.uk)
‘Nourishing Norfolk’ was formed in 2020 and it brings together individuals and groups at the grassroots local level to make sure families have nutritious and healthy foods, at an affordable price. There is a network of these food hubs across the
county; the closest would be ‘Love Downham’ in Downham Market.
More information about the initiative and each hub can be found on: Norfolk Community Foundation website (norfolkfoundation.com)
Government Schemes
The government is investing £12 billion in ‘Help to Heat’ schemes, including:
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Boiler Upgrade Scheme
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Local Authority Delivery Scheme (Sustainable Warmth Competition) & the Home Upgrade Grant (Sustainable Warmth Competition)
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Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
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Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
This funding is not delivered directly by the government, but through installers, local authorities, energy companies and other bodies.
1. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides homeowners £5,000 off the cost of a new air source heat pump, and up to £6,000 off the price of a ground source heat pump.
This money does not have to be paid back. You will need to own the home though, with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation.
The scheme is running until 2025, and to make an application, please see Boiler Upgrade Scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
2. The Sustainable Warmth Competition awards funding to local authorities to help them upgrade inefficient homes of low-income households in England. This includes:
• Local Authority Delivery Phase 3 (LAD3) scheme for low-income homes heated by mains gas
• Home Upgrade Grant Phase 1 (HUG1) scheme for low-income households off the gas grid. Projects participating in the first phase of funding must be delivered by 31 March 2023. The application window has recently ended for Local Authorities to apply for HUG2 funding.
3. The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below EPC C ratings.
Wave 1 awarded £179m of funding, delivering from 2022 to 2023. Wave 2.1 will look to allocate up to £800 million of funding for the period of 2022/23 to 2024/25. The competition for funds has recently closed.
If your property was eligible, your social housing provider would have contacted you.
4. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a requirement for energy suppliers to help households reduce their heating costs by fitting energy-saving measures.
ECO 4 is the fourth stage of this scheme running until March 2026.
Any home with an energy efficiency rating between D-G will have to install loft, roof and exterior facing cavity wall insulation before improving any existing heating systems.
The ECO 3 scheme excluded coal-fuelled heating systems. ECO 4 will be continuing with this rule, whilst also adding oil and LPG fuelled heating systems to the exclusion list. Greener alternatives, like heat pumps and biomass boilers, will be encouraged.
One of the main ways companies must measure who is eligible for the ECO 4 scheme is to see if the applicant receives any of the following:
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Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
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Income-related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
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Income Support (IS)
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Pension Credit Guarantee
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Credit Working Tax Credit (WTC)
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Child Tax Credits (CTC)
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Universal Credit (UC)
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Housing Benefit
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Pension Credit Savings Credit
This new phase of the grant will also support inefficient social housing and privately rented housing (if the landlord permits it). You don’t have to approach your current energy supplier, simply opt for the company that best suits you. Any gas and electricity companies that have over 150,000 customers are obliged to fit these measures. After a telephone assessment, the installer will then arrange a date to visit your home and confirm whether it is suitable for the grant. ECO 4 also allows local authorities to identify the most vulnerable households who could benefit from energy efficiency improvements. This scheme is called ECO Flexible Eligibility. To apply, please see:
www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/eco_flexibility_eligibility_application_form.pdf
Green Deal
The Green Deal is a government initiative to encourage consumers to make energy- saving improvements to their home. Funding is arranged through approved Green Deal Providers. The scheme is essentially a loan and allows you to spread the cost of the improvements over a period of between 10 and 25 years. The repayments are added to your electricity bill. The cost of the loan should not exceed the cost of the energy saved. Please see Green Deal: energy saving for your home: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Solar Energy
Solar energy is also a great way to reduce your energy bills. To find out about the costs involved and to search for a contractor, please see the following link: Solar panels - generating renewable electricity | Solar panels - generating renewable electricity | Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk (west-norfolk.gov.uk).
Energy Saving Advice
The Energy Saving Advice Service provides free and impartial advice. For more information on all aspects of home energy efficiency, please visit the Energy Saving Trust's website.
The ‘Norfolk Big Switch and Save’ can help you save money on gas and electricity bills. For more information, visit the Norfolk Energy Switch website. For general tips on how to save energy day to day at home, please see:
Energy efficiency at home | Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk (west-norfolk.gov.uk).
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