More affordable warmth funding for Preston residents

Funding has been made available to Preston City Council to deliver high impact affordable warmth interventions to individuals who are the most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes. Lancashire County Council has provided an Affordable Warmth Grant to districts including Preston.

Being on a low income, living in a thermally inefficient home, having higher heating needs and high fuel costs increase the risks of living in a cold home. The funding is aimed at the most vulnerable to harm from cold or damp homes. This could include a wide range of individuals who either are, or are at serious risk of, experiencing poor health and wellbeing due to living in a cold home.

In the interests of spending the funding efficiently, quickly and appropriately, the Council decided to use an approved partner, Cosy Homes in Lancashire (CHiL), along with trusted installers.

The quick turnaround by CHiL in processing applications and surveying the properties means that all the funding allocated for Preston's households will be spent on the households in most need.

Works that will be carried out range from new heating systems, heating repairs and SMART controls, solar heating and some new doors and windows where these are particularly old and energy inefficient.

Councillor Jennifer Mein, Cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Preston City Council, said:

"We are pleased to have been allocated more affordable warmth funding from Lancashire County Council for vulnerable households in Preston. Through the Cosy Homes scheme we have shown this is a successful model in spending and allocating funding for the benefit of our poorer households.

"In the current economic climate, it's satisfying to know that even more Preston households on low incomes or with chronic health conditions will benefit from having energy efficiency measures in place. Not only does this tackle fuel poverty but it also helps reduce carbon emissions.

"We would encourage all Preston residents to check the CHiL website if they are eligible for funding for these energy efficiency measures, which can make a real difference to low income households."

More information

• Cabinet accepted the receipt of the grant sum of £119,087, subject to satisfactory grant conditions.
• The funding is subject to Lancashire County Council approving proposals, with individual district allocations being based on the BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) Low Income Low Energy Efficiency fuel poverty figures published 27 April 2023. Preston's figures equate to 11.9% of households being classed as fuel poor, the second highest in Lancashire. This means that Preston City Council's share of the total grant is also the second highest of the 12 Lancashire districts.
• Households will be eligible for funding if they meet at least one of the following vulnerabilities AND have a low income, defined as follows:
  • Vulnerabilities:
    • people with diagnosed cardiovascular conditions
    • people with diagnosed respiratory conditions (in particular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and childhood asthma)
    • people with diagnosed mental health conditions
    • people with diagnosed disabilities
    • older people (65 and older)
    • households with young children (up to the age of 5)
    • pregnant women
    • people who are terminally ill
    • people with suppressed immune systems (e.g., from cancer treatment or HIV)
    • people who have attended hospital due to a fall
    • people who move in and out of homelessness
    • people with addictions
    • recent immigrants and refugees
  • Low income is defined as:
    • Someone being in receipt of means tested benefits
    • Have a total gross household income not in excess of £31,000
  • Works to households include:
    • Servicing, repairs and replacement boilers and heating systems and associated works, including programmable controls and replacement of unsafe heating appliances
    • Repairs to and new radiators and radiator reflectors
    • Gas fire services and repairs
    • Draught proofing measures
    • Appropriate ventilation measures to minimise mould growth
    • Standard loft and cavity wall insulation
    • Interventions for 'hard to treat' cavities and solid walls such as non-standard insulation solutions and external or internal wall insulation
    • Glazing improvements
    • Temperature and relative humidity monitors/ Carbon monoxide monitors
    • Dry lining
    • Mould and damp treatment and prevention
    • House clearance and loft clearance to enable affordable warmth interventions to be undertaken
    • Emergency repairs that address common barriers to tackling cold homes
    • Emergency heating and dehumidifier measures e.g., portable heaters for use whilst heating systems are repaired
• Residents can check eligibility for funding by visiting CHiL - are you eligible?
• For more information on energy efficiency see our energy efficiency section 
• Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.