A Machynlleth Georgian mansion is getting a £30,000 energy upgrade thanks to a new grant.

Y Plas is the council-owned ex-mansion which now houses council and private offices.

The town council has successfully secured funding to insulate the grade II listed property with secondary glazing on the ground floor, in phase one of the works to glaze the whole building.

Councillor Ann MacGarry, who has been working to reduce the energy bills of the building, said: “Machynlleth Town Council have been exploring ways to reduce energy use in the Plas for two reasons.

“We have to reduce our contribution to climate change, but the energy use also increases what residents have to pay in council tax.

“Machynlleth has a lot of resources to look after, so councillors want to reduce costs wherever possible.

“As the Plas is a listed building, we are only allowed to install secondary glazing and need it to be as unobtrusive as possible.

“We have been lucky enough to get a grant from Windfall, which is going to be enough to secondary glaze the ground floor windows, without any cost to council taxpayers.”

The grant from Windfall will pay for the installation of secondary glazing on the inside of ground-floor windows in areas that are heated.

Councillors hope this will insulate the building against heat loss and in turn, reduce the energy expenditure of the 1800s building, which was once the home to the Londonderry family.

Chair of Windfall (Mid Wales Community Energy Trust) Andy Bull, said his fellow directors were delighted to help this worthwhile project: "Income from renewable energy should be used for rural regeneration and Windfall is part of this picture.

“We turn donations from the owners of Carno Wind Farm into grants for community organisations so that they can improve their environmental and financial sustainability.”