Home efficiency scheme which helped hundreds of residents is approved for another year

The Better Housing Better Health programme is also designed to reduce health problems associated with living in cold, damp properties and raise awareness of fuel poverty and energy efficiency as well as health and safety in the home.

Cllr Merilyn Davies, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “Everyone should live in a warm, safe home that is affordable to heat.

“This scheme has already been highly successful in helping hundreds of West Oxfordshire residents to improve their homes and save money. I am delighted it will continue to help many more over the coming year.”

The Better Housing Better Health service is run by the National Energy Foundation (NEF) and costs the Council £7,000 a year as part of its commitment to the Oxfordshire-wide Affordable Warmth Network that works to reduce and prevent the number of people in fuel poverty and improve health and wellbeing.

In the last year, the NEF has carried out:

• 107 ECO Flex grant applications and installations including 77 loft insulations and 36 cavity wall insulations to boost energy efficiency
• 101 in-depth warm and wellbeing assessments which usually lead to a series of recommendations and work being carried out.

Better Housing Better Health supports the Council’s key priorities of providing healthy towns and villages and tackling climate change.

The scheme was approved for 2021-22 at a meeting of the full council on 28 July.