Warm Front scheme gets boost

Increased funding measures for the Government’s popular Warm Front home energy efficiency programme have been announced in this week’s Pre-Budget Report, in a bid to combat rising energy bills and fuel poverty. The package includes an addition of £100m to Warm Front’s allocation, and bringing forward some £50m of funding by a year, in order to maximise benefits as soon as possible.

As well as the financial support for the programme, measures to ensure the ongoing high performance of Warm Front were also announced. Since launching in 2000, the scheme has helped 1.8m households in the UK, saving an average of £300 per year in energy bills for each home.

"We want the most vulnerable homes to have the heating and insulation improvements they need as quickly as possible. A year can make a big difference in terms of comfort and financial savings, so bringing spending forward is the right thing to do,” said Energy & Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband. "While Warm Front has helped lift thousands of households out of fuel poverty, there is always room for improvement. We are working to ensure that Warm Front provides the best service it can in the most cost-effective way."