MORE than £4 million is available to make Dorset homes more energy efficient.

Dorset Council, BCP Council and Public Health Dorset have been awarded a total of £4,343,000 by the government to upgrade homes and off-grid households as part of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) scheme.

The scheme will provide energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating via local authority funding to households in England that are low income, off the gas grid, or have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G.

Cllr Nocturin Lacey-Clarke, Dorset Council’s cabinet lead member for environment, travel and harbours, said: “We have been lobbying and submitting numerous bids to central government for additional funding to deliver services, so we’re delighted to have been awarded this money.

“We’ll be able to utilise these funds via our Healthy Homes Dorset programme – funded by Dorset Council, BCP Council and Public Health Dorset – and make sure many more people are able to install energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating at no cost to themselves.

“Dorset has many low-income households, as well as large rural communities that do not have access to gas, often leading to higher bills than those connected to the grid.

“Considering the current cost-of-living crisis and our collective long-term ambition to reduce our carbon footprint to net zero, the Home Upgrade Grant will help us save our residents money via their energy bills, as well as help preserve our natural environment by using less resources.

“We’ll now look at how we can ensure the best ‘bang-for-buck’ when using these funds for home upgrades, and then let everyone know who is eligible for receiving support, and how to apply.

“In the meantime, you can find out more about the Healthy Homes Dorset programme online.”

Log on to www.healthyhomesdorset.org.uk for more information.