Money
Getting the best deal
Energy giveaway for over 70s
Going green has just got a whole lot easier, thanks to an energy giveaway worth around £600 which is now available to millions of households, writes Teena Lyons
The no-strings-attached scheme, which could add some much-needed cheer, is from British Gas. On offer is both cavity wall and loft insulation, free of charge, to every UK homeowner who is either over 70, or receiving certain benefits.
Best of all, the offer is not means tested and you do not even have to be a customer of British Gas.
The initiative is the first in a raft of eco-friendly measures under the Government’s carbon emissions reduction target, or CERT, scheme. Over the next three years energy suppliers have been compelled to spend a whopping £1.5 billion on installing energy measures into the homes of the elderly and those on low incomes.
British Gas, which is the first of the six big power firms to launch a scheme, estimates that £1 in every £3 spent on heating UK homes is wasted thanks to poor insulation.
There are around nine million homes without insulation in their cavity walls and, in England alone, around 40 per cent of homes have either no loft insulation, or less than 100 mm of heat-retaining material in place.
Everyone over 70 is immediately eligible, as are those receiving benefits such as disability and attendance allowance and income support. British Gas says the offer is also available on a heavily subsidised basis to those who do not meet these criteria.
Not owning your home is also not a bar to getting involved. Anyone in social or privately renting accommodation can also apply, as long as they secure their landlord’s approval.
Under the initiative, British Gas has also undertaken to pay for further insulation material to be installed in homes where the original insulation is very old or not up to modern standards.
According to the Energy Savings Trust, good cavity wall insulation will save the average household around £90 per year on energy bills. Proper 270mm deep loft insulation saves a further £110 a year.
To take up the offer, contact British Gas on 0845 6052535. The firm will arrange to send a surveyor to establish whether a house has cavity walls and measure the quality of any insulation already in place.
Don't worry if you don’t get through straight away – the company says it has been inundated with requests since the lines opened at the beginning of January, but the offer is open indefinitely, so just keep trying.
* Teena Lyons' opinions are her own and for general information only. Always seek independent financial advice.
