£12,000 solar panel grants to be fast-tracked for households
Ministers are accelerating the roll-out of grants and loans for solar panels and batteries to provide households with cost of living relief in the wake of the Iran war, The i Paper can reveal.
Low-income families could receive fully funded installations of solar panels and a battery up to a cost of £12,000, while higher earners will get low or zero interest loans.
The measures were first outlined in the £15bn Warm Homes Plan published by the Government in January, but there are now “active discussions” in Whitehall about getting money “out of the door quicker” to help people with the fallout from the Iran war, The i Paper understands.
The Warm Homes Plan earmarked £5bn to fund free home improvement packages for low-income families.
The packages are tailored to whatever technologies are most suitable for someone’s home, covering upgrades such as solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, insulation and draught proofing.
Under the scheme, families can receive free installation of solar panels and a battery to their fully funded average cost, which currently stands at about £9,000-£12,000.
While the precise details of eligibility have yet to be set out, it is expected that the grants will be on offer to households with a total income of around £35,000 or less.
Those on middle and high incomes will meanwhile have access to no-interest and low-interest loans for the same upgrades, backed by £2bn of Government funding.
The Warm Homes Plan is being viewed with increased importance by the Government because of the energy supply squeeze caused by the conflict in the Middle East, which is due to ramp up household bills and inflation.
Solar power a key weapon to combat energy shock
Last week, the energy consultancy Cornwall Insight predicted that a typical gas and electricity bill will rise to £1,929 a year from July – up 18 per cent on the current Ofgem price cap of £1,641.
Solar and Battery Eco-system (Image: Fox-ESS.com)
With Sir Keir Starmer desperate to show that the cost of living is his “number one priority”, Government funding for solar panels and battery storage is seen as a key weapon in No 10’s armoury for combating the energy price shock.
Read more: iNews
