Heating and insulating your home can be a very expensive endeavour indeed. Luckily there are several grants and funds that homeowners and tenants can apply for from the government if they need help keeping their homes warm. Cold weather kills UK citizens every year and makes many poor people’s lives considerably harder. These grants are in place to prevent this.
Double Glazing
The UK government is very keen to incentivize homeowners to get double glazing. Single pane windows are terrible at preventing heat transfer. Anybody that has touched the outside of a window during the winter knows that heat travels through glass as if it wasn’t even there. Double glazing works by trapping a layer of low conductivity gas between two panes of glass. The gas, usually argon, has considerably less conductivity than air.
The government is keen to promote double glazing adoption because it means houses will spend far less money on heating and, therefore, be responsible for far less greenhouse gas emissions. If the UK is to reach a net zero emissions standard,then homeowners need to be incentivized to be more efficient at heating their properties. You can apply for help with the cost of windows and receive a non-repayable grant very easily.
Boiler
Under the government’s warm homes initiative some people are eligible for discounts and grants related to boiler installation and maintenance. A new boiler can cost up to 7000 pounds, so applying for a grant is a necessity for many people. The boiler upgrade scheme was announced by the government in October 2021. It allows households a discount grant of up to 5000 pounds towards the replacement of an old boiler with a more efficient one. It is part of a wider scheme aimed at replacing inefficient appliances in the home.
First Time Central Heating
If you have never had central heating in your home, then you are almost certainly eligible for some state assistance with setting up a heating system. There are no cheap central heating systems. The First Time Central Heating scheme is part of the Energy Company Obligation program. Under this program, the ‘big six’ energy provision companies are obligated to help first time central heating customers financially with the installation of an efficient heating system. This scheme includes Npower, British Gas and EDF.
If you are a recipient of housing benefits or universal credit,then this grant is very easy to apply for. You can even receive this help if you are a private renter provided that you have permission from your landlord. s
Electric Heating
If you heat your home using electricity, then you’ll know just how steep your bills can be when the winter comes around. Electric heating grants exist specifically to help people who are finding it hard to pay bills over the winter due to their reliance on electric heaters. If you do rely on electric heaters,you should consider trying to get a First Time Central Heating grant as well.
