Identifying residents in fuel poverty

Identifying and referring residents in fuel poverty and/or at risk of ill- health due to living in a cold home

Nigel FarrenEnergise London CIC

About Energise LondonNot-for-profit social enterprise establishing community energy initiatives in London’s boroughs:

•Free, help-line: on energy saving measures, switching and renewables•Referrals: to partners for assessments, surveys, funding and installation•Training: for health professionals •Events: UK Community Energy Awards

Supporters of our work include the Energy Minister, Mayor of London and the main stakeholders in the energy industry

Improving the energy efficiency of homes, reducing fuel poverty and making renewable energy affordable for all

The link between Fuel Poverty and ill-health

How your can identify those most at risk - key questions

• Is your home cold, particularly in winter?

• Are you struggling to pay your energy bills?

• Health affected by your living conditions?

Financial help is available towards the cost of installing energy saving measures

Warning Signs• Struggling to pay energy bills!• Cold and draughty home• One room kept warm while others are cold• Damp patches / mould growth. Smell of damp.• No double-glazing• No central heating or client uses electric fires• Uses prepayment meters• Client wears extra clothes / stays in bed to keep

warm.

Those most prone

• Elderly. • Terminally-ill• Homebound• Single parent families• Those with respiratory,

cardiac and mental problems

Image courtesy of npower

500,000 Londoners estimated to be in fuel poverty ( Source: London Cost of Living Report - 298, 241 fuel poor households)

Next steps• Inform the resident they may be

entitled to financial help with insulation / heating

• Obtain their contact details and refer them to Energise London or ANO organisation

• If this isn’t possible, please pass out our details and ask them to ring us.

• We can then arrange an assessment and advise what help is available.

What we then do

• Pre – assess their needs• Ascertain if they receive benefits• Advise what help is available• Arrange Green Deal Assessment• Surveys• Funding• Installation

Why should you help?• Reduce ill-health and excess winter deaths• Reduce energy bills. Your service users could save up

to £300pa if they have loft and cavity wall insulation.• Reduce NHS costs – GP visits, hospital admissions,

medicine subscriptions, etc. • Improved service for your customers: free up

resources to be redirected elsewhere to help your other service users.

Only by working together can we stop vulnerable Londoners getting ill from living in a cold home.

Grants, schemes and

who can help

Grants and schemes

• ECO• The Green Deal• Green Deal Home Improvement Fund• Cashbacks: upto £6,000 for SWI• Equity release• Increase mortgage• Loans• Savings

The Energy Company Obligation

• £1.3 billion support from energy companies to support energy efficiency investment

• Subsidies for low income and vulnerable households BUT

• Subsidies for less cost effective measures in hard to treat homes (e.g. solid wall insulation), now reduced

HELP AVAILABLE NOW IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN LAST YEAR!

The Green Deal• Household-specific advice and finance• Recommended measures on the basis of

the GD Assessment Report• ‘Golden Rule’ to ensure savings• Approved providers• Commercial interest rates• Repayment up to 25 years• Payments through electricity bill• ‘Repayment obligation passes to new

owner when house sold• Choice of accredited assessors/installers• Green Deal code supports quality

installationImage courtesy of the Energy Saving Trust

Who can practically help• Energy Savings Trust – just information though• Councils – only 4 have fuel poverty strategies • Other orgs like us – only a handful in London• Assessors: they can’t refer to installers• Green Deal Providers – which will quote?• Installers: trustworthy or cowboys?

It’s a minefield out there!

Thank You for listening

Nigel Farren, FounderEnergise London CICT: 020 8370 0270E: [email protected]: www.energiselondon.org.uk

Helping Londoners reduce carbon emissions and save and make energy and money