A new £1.08bn Treasury-funded household energy efficiency programme has been proposed to ensure the 2020 fuel poverty milestone is achieved. Published on Friday 28 June, the ‘Challenge Fund’ will run from April 2020-22, and complement the existing Energy Company Obligation (ECO3) programme and the Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation. It will focus primarily on fuel poor owner-occupied Band E/F/G households, but would also be available to private landlords who need more than £3,500 to upgrade their Band F/G properties to Band E. The Challenge Fund would also accelerate progress towards the government’s statutory target of improving the energy performance of fuel poor households in England to Band C by 2030.
