Extra £5.8 million to fight fuel poverty in Wales

The new funding will go towards the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) which offers heating and insulation measures to make homes warmer, healthier and more energy efficient.

Making the announcement, Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing, Jane Davidson said:

This new funding shows that tackling fuel poverty is a priority for the Assembly Government. Funding for HEES, which provides much needed help to those who need it the most, will increase to almost £23 million this year.

The most vulnerable people in Wales are the least able to pay rising gas and electricity bills. We are looking at what we can do within the areas of the Assembly Government’s powers to mitigate this and we are determined to do everything we can to work with key players, such as energy suppliers, to reduce energy costs for households in Wales.

We need to fight fuel poverty on three fronts - making homes more energy efficient, maximising income and getting the best fuel prices for vulnerable households.

Finance & Public Service Delivery Minister Andrew Davies added:

Rising energy prices will inevitably have a negative impact on fuel poverty in Wales and put financial pressure on families. The new money we are announcing today will help to alleviate the impact of fuel poverty and provide assistance for families across Wales.

Improving energy efficiency goes a long way to help those struggling to heat their homes. To date this initiative has helped 93,000 households from across Wales with heating and insulation measures at a cost of over £95 million.

For more information about HEES, please call freephone 0800 316 2815 or log onto: www.heeswales.co.uk

22 December 2008

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