Isle of Man home energy efficiency grants reviewed after low take-up

The grant scheme was launched in 2018 to help those on low incomes

Grants for low-income households on the Isle of Man to improve energy efficiency will be reviewed after a low take-up, the environment minister said.

The Energy Efficiency Scheme allows applications for home improvements capped at £250 per claim, with a total grant limit of £1,000 per property.

Clare Barber told the House of Keys a total of £19,779 had been paid out since its launch in 2018.

She said improvements would now be made to "make the grants more appealing".

The scheme is open to people on incomes of up to £29,250 a year.

Lagging behind

Ms Barber said while 117 applications had been given approval, only 88% of them had resulted in grant claims.

Her department was "conscious that take-up of the scheme" had been "low", she said.

The government is considering increasing the maximum cap on each grant or allowing applications for materials for DIY works that do not need specific skills or trades, she added.

Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher said the 2020 Private Sector Housing Stock Survey had shown the island "lags well behind every other European country in terms of energy efficiency".

More effort should be put into promoting the grants for the scheme to "have a tangible impact upon our carbon emissions and to help people have warmer homes that cost less to heat", she added.

Douglas Central MHK Chris Thomas said those on lower incomes who had "damp and water coming through their walls" were "hardly likely to engage in terms of LED light bulbs through the scheme".

Ms Barber argued that the "most common energy-saving improvements" part-funded by the grants had been loft insulation, replacement windows, replacement boilers, replacement radiators, thermostatic radiator valves, and wall and floor insulation.

She said it was "quite an extensive scheme" but acknowledged her department could "always do more".