HOUSEHOLDERS across East Lancashire will benefit from £800,000 in Government grants to local councils for warmer homes and cheaper energy.

The cash will pay for insulation, draught proofing, improving energy efficiency and encouraging people to switch to cheaper power suppliers.

It comes from £46 million awarded to 132 projects nationwide to tackle fuel poverty.

Lancashire County Council won £740,620 from the Department for Energy and Climate Change to tackle fuel poverty.

It will act as lead authority distributing the cash across the whole county including Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Ribble Valley and Rossendale.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough gets £139,000 as lead authority for Lancashire councils to encourage joint energy purchasing schemes to lower individual fuels bills for the elderly and hard-up households as part of the Government’s Green Deal scheme.

The county’s environment chief Michael Green said: “We welcome the three-quarters of a million pounds from the Government.

“This funding will continue a project to provide free cavity wall and loft insulation for vulnerable people.

“This is great news for the residents of Lancashire.

“The project will achieve warmer homes and reduced fuel bills. This is a joint project between Lancashire County Council and the other councils in Lancashire.

“It started in 2011 and this new funding will now allow it to continue until March.

“The project will help 1,650 Lancashire households. 330 households will also get draught-proofing.”

The £46million was targeted in three areas: n £31million to help householders keep warm this winter n £10million to kick start the Green Deal with ‘Pioneer Places’ projects n £5million to set up collective switching schemes – ‘Cheaper Energy Together’ Energy Secretary Edward Davey said: “We need to find new ways to help people with their energy bills, working with communities and councils across the country.

“The projects we are funding will help people save energy and save money: helping the most vulnerable to heat their homes, getting the Green Deal market up and running and encouraging people to switch energy suppliers to get their bills down.”