The UK government has announced a new £1.5bn package to improve the energy efficiency of UK households, as the country faces a looming energy crisis. 

Under the Help to Heat scheme, around 130,000 social housing and low-income properties could see their bills reduced by around £400 to £700, the government said. 

Social housing with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower will be eligible to receive upgrades, while the Home Upgrade Grant funding will help people who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty, living in privately owned off-gas-grid homes and on low incomes. Local authorities and social-housing providers will be able to submit bids for funding and will deliver upgrades from early next year until March 2025.

The scheme aims to reduce the likelihood of households falling into fuel property as a result of the rising energy prices, caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

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