COUNCIL homes with old boilers are in line for new models thanks to a £1m government grant.
Portsmouth City Council’s housing service has been awarded £1,000,044 to replace 532 boilers in council homes in and around the city.
Light bulbs in high-use rooms will also be replaced with low-energy LED lights under the scheme, which is being rolled out in conjunction with the council’s Green Neighbours project.
The grant is a share of £46m from the government to reduce fuel poverty and boost energy efficiency in regions across the country.
Work to install the new boilers, which are 91.2 per cent efficient condensing boilers, is already under way with 59 having been replaced already.
Portsmouth was awarded the cash under the ‘tackling fuel poverty’ category – where a larger than average proportion of their income goes towards heating and lighting their home.
The authority estimates that the incentive will help residents save £300 per household on average – or 22.5 per cent of the average fuel bill.
Home energy advisors will advise residents about heating controls and changes they can make to reduce their energy bills further.
The council eventually hopes to develop a group of residents to become volunteers and share knowledge of energy saving and recycling with friends and neighbours in the community through the Green Neighbours project.
Follow-up checks will be arranged three months later, and again a year after, to make sure people are saving money on their bills.
Louise Ellison, Green Neighbours project manager at the council, said: ‘We’re very pleased we were successful in getting a share of this money, and that we can help a lot of residents.
‘The important aspect of this project is not just replacing kit, but making sure we’re doing all we can to help residents save the most money they can, as well as reducing the overall carbon impact of our homes.’
Visit facebook.com/greenneighbour for more information about the scheme.
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