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Canterbury City Council is offering residents in its district some energy saving tips and encouraging them to learn about the Sustainable Warmth Grant.

The government recently introduced the energy price guarantee to help households with high energy bills. This will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that an average household in Great Britain will pay around £2,500 a year on their energy bill until 31 March 2023.

But energy prices are set to remain significantly above average until at least 2030 and this means households will need to get smarter with energy in the long-term. Improving the energy efficiency of your home, preventing energy waste and going renewable where possible, are all great ways to save money.

Understanding your energy bill and where you may be using the most energy can be a fantastic way to start. The Energy Saving Trust has also put together some top energy savings tips that could save households up to £564 a year on bills and additional help is available to those most likely to be affected by the energy crisis.

The Sustainable Warmth Grant is a government scheme that offers £10,000 to fund household energy efficiency upgrades for residents who are most likely to be impacted by the high cost of rising bills.

Residents have until Saturday 31 December, 2022 to apply for funding to install a range of energy saving improvements to reduce energy use, make homes warmer and keep energy costs under control.

How much could you get?

If your property or a property you privately rent has a low EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating, you may be eligible for free energy-saving home improvements.

● If your home is on mains gas you could get up to £10,000

● If your home is off-gas (you use only electricity or alternative fuels) you could get up to £25,000

What home improvements can you make?

Already across the programme, thousands of households have signed up to get free improvements to their home including:

● insulation to help cut energy bills

● a new low-carbon heating system such as an air-source heat pump

● heating controls or an energy-efficient way of heating your water

● solar panels to generate a proportion of free electricity

● energy-efficient lighting which is cheaper to run

● repairing or replacing draughty doors and windows

Experts will carry out an assessment of your home and will identify which improvements will provide the greatest benefits.

You will then be offered the best solutions for your home that fit the scheme criteria.

Are you eligible?

The Sustainable Warmth Grant is paid for by the government and is designed to support those households most impacted by rising energy bills.

To be eligible for this grant, you must meet both of the two conditions below:

• your household has a combined annual income of less than £30,000
• you are living in a home with low energy efficiency (determined by the EPC rating of your home (mainly E, F or G rated).

You will be helped with this part of the eligibility process during your application.

But you can also find your EPC rating online at gov.uk/find-energy-certificate.

The scheme is particularly keen to hear from households heated by alternative fuels such as oil heating or electric-only heaters.

How can I apply?

You can apply for funding until Saturday 31 December 2022, so find out whether you are eligible and register as soon as you can. To find out more and apply, please contact EON Energy directly visit eonenergy.com/green-homes-grant, email ghgadministration@eonenergy.com or call 0333 202 4859 (free of charge).