Wiltshire Council and EDF are offering free upgrades to eligible homes

A council has offered free energy efficiency upgrades to low-income homes in a bid to “help those most in need”.

Wiltshire Council has secured £1.7m of government funding to help up to 86 homes in the county access the Home Improvement Grant.

The upgrades, which target owner-occupied and privately rented homes that are not connected to the gas network in the DG energy performance bands, will include wall and attic insulation, heat pumps and smart heating controls.

Councilor Dominic Muns said the scheme would not only save money “in the long term” but would also “contribute to the county’s climate targets”.

“It supports our Business Plan priority to lead the way in how councils and counties mitigate future climate challenges and, if successful, will help us attract more funding for more projects like this in the future,” Mr Muns said .

To be eligible, households must be gas-free households and either:

The council has teamed up with EDF on the project as part of the government’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Phase 2 home upgrade grant scheme.

Mr Muns said working with the energy supplier would help ensure the funding “helps those who need it most”.

“This project is a unique opportunity to help low-income households with waste gas access energy efficiency measures for free, which are likely to save them money in the long term and also contribute to the climate goals of the county,” he added.

EDF’s Dan Hopcroft said its work with the council will make homes in Wiltshire “more energy efficient and affordable to keep warm”.

“Through the scheme, we will help people save money and carbon,” he said.