MORE than 400 homes in Halton will undergo work to make them more energy efficient and help cut bills as part of a £28.5 million cash injection.

The properties will be fitted with insulation, double glazing, upgraded home heating systems, and other renewable and low carbon technologies after the Liverpool City Region (LCR) was successful in a bid for government funding.

All six areas of the LCR will share the money, with a total of 2,500 low income and low energy performance certificate (EPC) properties (those with D, E, F or G) set to have work undertaken to raise their energy rating. The funding will also support low-income households with the transition to low-carbon heating.

Halton will receive £4.7 million which will pay for 422 homes to have the enhancements.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“At a time when more and more people are at risk of fuel poverty because of rising prices and widespread supply issues, we are doing everything we can to help people across our region heat their homes as cheaply and efficiently as possible without heating the planet too.

“We’re investing nearly £40m to help put money in the pockets of 3,600 of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged households by improving the energy efficiency of their homes and cutting their fuel bills.

“This is only a down payment on our ambitions, though.

"We want all of our housing to be brought up to a decent standard. If the government are serious about reaching their own net zero targets, they need to work with us to secure the investment we need to help make that happen.”

This latest funding is in addition to a previous £11.3 million scheme which is currently seeing around 1,100 homes across the city region being fitted with the same sort of measures to improve energy efficiency and cut bills.