The new advice services will help those in hard-to-treat homes and the hard to reach, such as the elderly and those without internet access, make their homes more energy efficient.

Special energy cafes, a ‘green doctor’ and a retrofit bus are among 36 pilot schemes that will be set up and backed by £20m of government funding. The services will help about 125,000 households across England.

In Birmingham, locals will be able to pop into new energy cafes across the city to find out how to make their homes more efficient; meanwhile, a ‘green doctor’, will be offering ‘home check-ups’ for older and low-income households in North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Other projects to receive funding include a retrofit electric bus to bring on-the-road energy saving tips to customers around North Yorkshire. In Lincolnshire, an electric energy van will travel to rural areas to explain how government schemes can help people reduce their energy use.

Helping nearly 20,00 households

The schemes are expected to help more than 19,000 households install retrofit measures, ranging from loft and cavity wall insulation to draught proofing, better heating controls, and new heat pumps.

Amanda Solloway, minister for energy consumers and affordability, said: “We want everyone to be able to get expert advice on how to make their homes more energy efficient, no matter where they live, so they can save money.

“These innovative projects will bring that expertise right to people’s doorsteps, quite literally in some cases, ensuring people are given the best advice on how to save money on their bills and heat their homes for less without needing to search for it.

“This is alongside our investment of billions of pounds to improve energy efficiency across the country – reducing bills at the same time as making sure Britain’s homes are fit for the future.”

Mike Thornton, chief executive at Energy Saving Trust, said: “It’s good news that the Government is moving to increase targeted support for those most in need. Personalised advice is crucial in empowering people to confidently make the right changes in their home.

“With our 30 years’ experience delivering advice schemes across the UK we know that funding is most effective when combined with personalised energy efficiency advice.”

Households can also access a range of Government support for retrofit upgrades to their homes, including the Home Upgrade Grant and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, as well as ECO4 and The Great British Insulation Scheme.

The support forms part of the Government’s £6.6bn energy efficiency drive, with a further £6bn committed from 2025 to 2028.