More than £7.3m spent on improving homes

The Isle of Man has a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050

More than £7.3m has been spent on making homes across the Isle of Man more energy efficient since 2022, new figures have revealed.

The spending amount was confirmed by the Climate Change Transformation Board chair, answering a Tynwald question on net-zero target spending.

A number energy-saving schemes are now in place and aim to help low income households cope with the rising cost of living to reduce bills.

The Isle of Man formally recognised the climate emergency in 2021 and a dedicated fund was established by Treasury in 2022.

A total of £8,528,104 has been spent so far across the island with £5,685,342 invested in the green living grant scheme, with an estimated 3,300 total carbon dioxide (tCO2) saving per year.

There has been £1,699,739 spent on an energy efficiency scheme, with a predicted 1,900tCO2 saving per year.

Clare Barber, who is also the environment minister, said: "Over the last 12 months there has been a move away from a focus solely on emissions reductions to funding projects with the widest range of co-benefits."

'Emissions and energy bills'

Barber said: "Many actions which reduce emissions also help to reduce costs or carry wider social benefits such as improving health and wellbeing."

"For example 80% spend from the climate change fund to date has been in people's homes helping to reduce both emissions and energy bills," she added.

About £36m has been transferred into the government's climate change fund in the last three years and the Climate Change Plan 2022-2027 has an interim target to cut emissions by 35% by 2035.

It also aims to decarbonise the island's electricity supply by 2030.

Elsewhere Barber outlined that more than £550,000 was spent on developing "a comprehensive blue carbon management plan to maximise carbon sequestration and maintain and restore biodiversity and wider ecosystem services", with no tCO2 saving as yet.

In a written answer to Tynwald on spending to date, she said it was "important to note that the island is still in the early stages of its transition away from fossil fuels".

"Many of the initiatives have an indirect benefit on emissions reduction as they involve preliminary research and feasibility assessments," she said.

Therefore they were actions which led "to an emissions benefit later rather than a direct action which reduces emissions straight away", she added.