New scheme to improve energy efficiency in the household

A new project has been launched aimed at giving South Somerset residents the chance to become energy efficiency trailblazers.

The South Somerset Home Energy project offers householders the chance to improve their homes by making them more energy efficient, in kind lowering their bills.

It gives owner occupiers of a solid-walled property the opportunity to install internal or external solid-wall insulation at no up-front cost.

Mike McClelland looks after the new project at the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), a Bristol-based charity. He said: "Solid-walled homes are particularly poor at retaining heat which means high fuel bills – and we know there are a high number of these properties across South Somerset.

"With fuel bills on the rise generally anyway, this is a fantastic opportunity for those people who live in these types of properties. South Somerset Home Energy will help people to improve their home, cut their fuel bills and make themselves much, much warmer."

The project offers a free survey by a qualified domestic energy assessor who will provide something called an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which will determine what measures are needed to improve the property.

Grant funding from Scottish and Southern Energy will then be available to carry out the improvements.

For those people who are interested in improving their home with solid wall insulation, a 'pay-as-you-save' finance scheme will be available. This means that repayments are linked to the expected fuel bill savings resulting from having solid wall insulation installed.

So for example, if the EPC anticipates fuel bill savings to be £30 per month then repayments would not exceed this amount – meaning residents wouldn't have to pay a penny up-front.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about South Somerset Home Energy, they should contact the Home Energy Team at CSE free on 0800 082 2234 or email home.energy@cse.org.uk.

Trained energy advisors will then talk people through the project, look at the options available for their home and send them a copy of the South Somerset Home Energy brochure for more details.

This contains everything people need to know about the grant, the measures and where to find approved installers.