The pilot scheme aims to tackle fuel poverty by helping up to 500 struggling Londoners afford to heat their homes. The Better Boilers scheme also claims to cut household bills by £150, reduce cold-related ill health and save up to 310 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
The number of homes unable to afford heating increased by 26 per cent between 2012 and 2014 and according to the London Assembly, fuel poverty affects more than 1 million Londoners.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “It is shocking that more than a million Londoners live in fuel poverty. In a great city such as ours, people should not have to choose whether to heat their homes or buy food.
“I am committed to making our capital a city for all Londoners, and part of that means people being able to heat their homes and live in comfort, as well as breathe cleaner air. This scheme is another step towards achieving that.”
National Energy Action “applaud” the initiative alongside Age UK which said “it’s a tragedy that the last confirmed figures showed there were 4,040 excess winter deaths in London in 2014/15, almost all of them older people.”
Age UK London chief executive Paul Goulden added:“We’re glad the Mayor of London is tackling this issue and hope the pilot scheme will succeed and be extended so no older Londoner ever has to make the choice between heating and eating again,”
In April this year the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) called on the next London Mayor to set up a publicly-run energy company for London which would help reduce fuel poverty, accelerate decarbonisation and expand demand management in the city.