The UK, and Cornwall, has seen significant cost increases in food, energy and fuel prices. According to the Office for National Statistics, 88% of adults in the Great Britain reported an increase in their cost of living in May 2022. With energy price increases, the cost of heating the average Cornish home for a year is estimated to rise by around 20% more than homes in England for selected fuel types. It is estimated that 21% of the average Cornish weekly household budget is spent on housing, fuel and power. Isles of Scilly homes do not have mains gas and rely on electricity as their main heating and energy source. Fuel Poverty in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly rates (2022), up from 29k to 32k of households and this is before the rapid rise in energy prices is factored in, so likely to be far worse for next 2 years.
This project is using the Shared Prosperity Fund alongside the £20m DESNZ Home Upgrade Grant to ensure that more eligible residents in fuel poverty are reached.
Since July 2022, Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly together with OVO Energy, Inclusion Cornwall and Building for Humanity have successfully installed an additional 44 measures including Air Source Heat Pumps and Insulation into 33 homes using the Shared Prosperity Fund, with a total spend to date of £307,800 (May 2023).
Over the next 2 years they will also target Social and Private Tenure Homes in the Isles of Scilly through these schemes. A Community Engagement event on Isles of Scilly is taking place 22nd June 2023 to highlight to the residents what is on offer.
Find out more about Grants, Loans and Subsidies for Energy Use on the Cornwall Council website.