MILLIONS of low-income families are set to get free solar panels, batteries and heat pumps as part of a new plot to splash tax-payer cash.
The Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband’s new “Warm Homes Plan” offers upgrades worth up to £12,000 for free to low-income households.
Meanwhile, millions of squeezed working homeowners – who already foot the bill for the nation’s finances – are being offered nothing more than “low interest loans” to upgrade their properties.
This latest eco-splurge comes just days after Miliband was accused of selling Britain down the river with a botched wind farm auction that will leave British families paying higher energy bills for decades.
Under the scheme, social housing tenants could see their streets transformed with free solar panels, batteries, and insulation.
The Government claims this will lift a million families out of fuel poverty.
But for the average homeowner struggling with mortgage rates and rising bills, the “universal offer” is simply the permission to take on more debt to join Miliband’s “rooftop revolution.”
Critics are already sounding the alarm over the potential for massive waste in such a huge public spending spree.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said that it is “crucial” that public money comes with strict safeguards.
He said: “That means independent advice, proper oversight, and a Warm Homes Guarantee, a clear promise that energy bills will go down after work is done, not just that new tech is installed.”
Fears of a cowboy builder bonanza are also mounting.
Anna Moore, former construction head at McKinsey UK and boss of Domna, pointed to the disastrous history of similar schemes.
She said: “The sector is currently navigating nearly 7,000 pages of retrofit guidance, yet we’ve still seen massive failures like the 98 per cent defect rate in external wall insulation.”
She warned that flashy gadgets like heat pumps are easier to fund than the boring – but vital – insulation that actually keeps homes warm.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said: “A warm home shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a basic guarantee for every family in Britain.
“Today’s plan marks a turning point.
“It will help to slash energy costs and lift up to a million people out of fuel poverty.”
The Warm Homes Plan
1. DIRECT SUPPORT FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
Low-income households will receive energy upgrades free of charge, funded by a new £5billion public investment.
Eligible families could have solar panels and a battery installed at no cost, a package worth between £9,000 and £12,000.
For those in social housing, the government plans to upgrade entire streets simultaneously to improve warmth and lower bills for whole neighbourhoods.
2. AN OFFER FOR EVERYONE
Homeowners will be offered government-backed zero or low-interest loans to install solar panels, with the aim of tripling the number of rooftop panels by 2030.
The scheme also includes a universal £7,500 grant for heat pumps, which now extends to “air-to-air” models that can cool homes in summer.
Plus, strict new rules will ensure every new-build home comes with solar panels as standard.
3. NEW PROTECTIONS FOR RENTERS
The government is introducing stricter rules for landlords to tackle the cold, damp, and mould currently affecting 1.6million children in private rentals.
Landlords will be required to ensure properties are safe, warm, and affordable to run.
These upgrades are expected to lift half a million renting families out of fuel poverty by the end of the decade.
