Northern Ireland Housing Executive partners with charity on energy-saving initiative

“By filling in a few simple details about your home, you can get a clear picture of what needs to be done.

“You can get advice and recommendations on how to make the best use of your budget and find out what savings can be made if you make changes such as increasing your loft insulation or upgrading your boiler.

“For example, you can spend a small amount of money getting your windows and doors draught-proofed, or, if you have more to spend, you can get a detailed report, including renewable-energy options such as solar panels or air-source heat pumps.

“If you decide you want to spend more, or less, on making changes, the tool will recalculate the figures.”

She explained that the tool was not just for NIHE tenants, but all householders across Northern Ireland.

Kevin McGarry, Energy Saving Trust NI programme manager, said: “As the cost of living crisis continues and energy prices remain high, this is an opportune time to take a closer look at the energy efficiency of your home and how to improve it.

“We hope that people all over Northern Ireland will get on board and use this user-friendly tool to explore what they can do to make their home warmer, while both cutting bills and reducing carbon emissions.”

Last month, the NIHE revealed it had invested nearly £100m in homes in a local authority area in the east of the country last year.

The housing authority’s investment in Lisburn and Castlereagh in 2022-23 included just under £60m in new build homes in the district, with 330 housing association units on site in March 2023, and 97 housing completions for the year.