Over 600 rural homes are set to benefit from an increase of £400k to the Assembly's Warm Homes budget, for energy efficiency improvements.

Rural Affairs Minister Michelle Gildernew and the Housing Minister Margaret Ritchie made the announcement yesterday.

The funding - totalling £2.4million - will expand the Warm Homes Scheme, and aims to provide a package of insulation measures and energy efficiency tailored to the needs of rural dwellings.

Around 630 rural homes will now get the insulation and heating improvements they urgently need.

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The Warm Homes Scheme is run by the Department of Social Development.

As these homes exceed the statutory grant for the current Warm Homes scheme, the 'top up' of these grant schemes by DARD will allow the DSD funds to be released and for the work to be carried out as soon as possible.

The two Ministers said: "This is a great boost for hundreds of people living in rural dwellings, especially in this climate of economic hardship. People living in these areas are often greatly disadvantaged when it comes to fuel.

"This is due to their distance from supplier, reliance on oil, and the fact that many rural homes tend to be old, solid walled and thus harder and more expensive to insulate. This agreement today means that these harder to heat homes can now benefit from the full range of energy efficiency grants available to them."

As these homes are already on the waiting list to be surveyed and have the work carried out, it is anticipated that work on all 630 homes will be completed by March next year, providing much needed fuel efficiency.

(PR)