Hundreds more homes in Mansfield and Ashfield equipped to tackle climate change and fuel poverty

However, campaigners say more needs to be done to ensure the country meets its net zero target and people can afford to heat their homes.

The Energy Company Obligation scheme aims to reduce carbon emissions and help people at risk of fuel poverty by making energy firms install heat-saving measures such as insulation and more efficient boilers.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy data shows 184 homes in Mansfield were fitted with ECO measures in the year to June – 84 more than the previous year.

It means 4,140 households in the area have benefitted from the scheme since it launched in 2013.

In Ashfield, 266 homes were fitted in the period, 119 more than the previous year and taking the total to 4,514 since the scheme began.

The most common improvement is cavity wall insulation, followed by more efficient boilers and loft insulation.

The ECO scheme is estimated to have delivered £17 billion in lifetime heating bill savings.

‘Warm, safe home’

However, charity National Energy Action says too many vulnerable people across the UK are still at risk of ‘needless death’ due to a cold home.

Peter Smith, NEA director of policy and advocacy, said the average annual saving for improving a home’s energy efficiency can be ‘life-changing’, with savings of between £300 and £1,000 a year.

He said: “For too many households, a low level of energy efficiency is still making a big impact on whether they can afford to live in a warm, safe home.”

Stew Horne, Energy Saving Trust head of policy, said: “It is great to see that more home energy efficiency measures are being installed via the Energy Company Obligation scheme.

“However, the climate emergency is upon us and to meet the UK’s net zero carbon targets by 2050, we need to see an acceleration in the pace and scale of retrofitting our homes to make them more efficient.”

A BEIS spokesman said ‘significant’ progress was being made.

He said: “We want to go further and faster, ensuring nobody goes cold in their own home. That is why we are investing £1.3bn into making homes more energy efficient, cheaper to heat and helping low-income families significantly reduce their energy bills.”

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