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<p>Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term solution to tackle fuel poverty
and at the Summer Economic Update we announced more than £2 billion of funding for
upgrading the energy efficiency of homes. The Green Homes Grant is a £2 billion programme
which will help improve the energy efficiency of homes in England. Low-income homeowners
in receipt of certain benefits may be eligible for a grant covering up to 100% of
the cost of installation. The 2020 Spending Review committed a further £320 million
in funding for the Green Homes Grant for 2021-22 and £150 million to help some of
the poorest homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon
energy.</p><p> </p><p>The Energy Company Obligation scheme requires energy companies
to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures to low income, vulnerable and fuel
poor households. The current scheme is worth £640m per year and ends in March 2022.
The Prime Minister announced an extension to this scheme until 2026 in his Ten Point
Plan. We also recently closed our consultation on the extension of the Warm Home Discount
until March 2022. This will continue to provide a £140 energy bill rebate to over
2 million low income and vulnerable households, and vital projects helping fuel poor
households throughout the country through Industry Initiatives.</p><p>We are currently
consulting on improving the standard of privately rented homes in England and Wales
through a minimum energy efficiency performance standard of Band C, helping to tackle
fuel poverty in that tenure.</p><p> </p><p>An updated fuel poverty strategy for England
will also be released in the coming months, outlining our commitments to delivering
against our statutory target to ensure that as many fuel poor homes as is reasonably
practicable achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of Band C, by 2030.</p>
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