UK to allocate £1.5bn to insulate homes for the poor

MOSCOW, 29 Sep — PRIME. The British government will allocate 1.5 billion pounds to insulate 130,000 homes of low-income residents of England, according to a press release published on the website of the government of the country.

“About 130,000 low-income households in England could save around £400-700 a year on their (electricity) bills as their homes get more energy efficient thanks to the government’s Heating Assistance programme,” the statement said. .

The program includes insulation of external walls and attic floors, installation of energy-efficient doors and windows, as well as heat pumps and solar panels, the document says. At the same time, several of the listed measures can be taken in one house. Such a statement, as emphasized in the document, was made against the backdrop of skyrocketing electricity prices.

After the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the West stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia. The disruption of supply chains has driven up fuel and food prices in Europe and the US. In the UK, the rising cost of living has hit millions of households. The country’s energy bills have risen significantly. Against this background, British Prime Minister Liz Truss was forced to announce a freeze on energy bills from October 1 for the next two years, so that the average annual bill for gas and electricity does not exceed 2.5 thousand pounds sterling.

Earlier, British media reported that Prime Minister Liz Truss’s intention to freeze energy prices for residents could cost the country about 130 billion pounds (150 billion dollars) in a year and a half. This comes as British energy regulator Ofgem announced in August that it would raise the maximum allowable annual electricity bill for consumers to £3,549 effective October 1, more than £1,000 more than the price cap proposed by Truss.