Insulation help for 16,000

Nov 26 2008 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

MORE than 16,000 homes have been given free insulation under a Kirklees Council energy saving scheme.

Since the council launched its Warm Zone initiative in September last year, officials have knocked on 78,172 doors.

They have assessed more than 46,000 of those, of which 16,378 have been insulated.

More than 10,000 fire safety checks have been carried out and 40,000 have asked for a carbon monoxide detector.

Kirklees Warm Zone is one of the biggest programmes to improve domestic energy efficiency and address climate change in the UK.

The council estimates that 35,000 to 45,000 homes suffer from fuel poverty, because residents can not afford to heat their homes properly.

It has vowed that every home in Kirklees which is suitable for loft and cavity wall insulation will receive the work for free.

The council has also produced a DVD about energy efficiency in several languages and is holding events to tell people about different tariffs for energy supply and provide help with bills.