Hillingdon Council is set to help residents tackle rising energy bills after it scooped £3m from a pioneering project.

The council is one of just 24 councils in the country to get the funding from the government's Green Deal Communities Scheme, which aims to make homes warmer and more efficient at no immediate cost.

The Green Deal Communities scheme will be rolled out on a street by street basis to encourage homeowners to benefit from energy efficiency measures such as cavity wall insulation, double glazing, loft insulation and heating upgrades.

Residents who sign up to the Green Deal Plan will receive part funding to help make their home more energy efficient. Homeowners will then pay back a loan on the remaining cost through the immediate savings they see in their energy bills.

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The loan is attached to the house (through the electricity meter) rather than the homeowner, meaning if residents decide to move the new owner will simply take over the repayments, which are covered by the cost savings passed on to them.

Cost savings from any energy efficient measures installed must be greater than the charges applied, effectively ensuring that the work pays for itself whilst homeowners benefit from an additional reduction in their energy bills.

Jean Palmer, Deputy Chief Executive and Corporate Director of Residents Services, said: "From upgrading to a more energy efficient boiler or installing loft insulation, there are a number of ways that homeowners can save the environment whilst saving money.

"We are encouraging our residents to find out how the Green Deal scheme can help them install improvement measures into their homes to help slash their energy bill."

(CD)