Sefton's Affordable Warmth Pages
Fuel Poverty and Affordable Warmth
Fuel Poverty
Fuel poverty occurs when a household spends more than 10% of
its income to adequately heat the home. There are around 5
million households in fuel poverty in England and to put it in a
local context, there are over 30,000 households at risk of fuel
poverty in Sefton.
There are many causes of fuel poverty including low household
income, poor insulation standards, inefficient or expensive heating
systems and under occupancy. Vulnerable groups tend to be older
people living alone, lone parents with young children and those
with long term illnesses. In Sefton there is a high older
population and 9 of the 22 wards are ranked within the 10% most
deprived in the country.
In addition, there are 35,000 solid walled properties which
are classed as hard to heat and therefore expensive to treat and
together with unstable gas and electricity prices, there is
much to do to eradicate fuel poverty in Sefton.
Affordable Warmth
Affordable warmth is achieved when a home can be adequately
heated within 10% of household income. A home with adequate heating
and insulation will cost less to heat and is less prone to damp and
condensation and the associated maintenance costs.
The links between cold, damp homes and ill health
It is a fact that people’s inability to heat their homes
adequately has a direct impact on their health. Cold, damp homes,
which are inadequately heated, contribute to a massive burden of
preventable illness amongst the most vulnerable people in society
translating into massive pressures on the NHS each winter. In
addition, people living in cold and damp conditions tend to be more
susceptible to a range of common illnesses such as colds and flu,
with elderly people and young children being particularly at
risk.
Sefton Affordable Warmth Strategy
The Affordable Warmth Strategy is a declaration by a range of
agencies to confront the issues head on and work together to
eradicate fuel poverty. This document is available to download as
Pdf file here:
This is a dynamic strategy and to make sure of this,
it was decided to review the aims and objectives each year,
not only reflect upon what had already been achieved, but also
to take into account any changes in legislation and policies
to ensure our activities and targets are focused in the relevant
areas and maintain the momentum. The first annual review can
be downloaded here
On request this document is available as a large
text file and translated into other languages.
Practical Help and Advice available
Over the years the Energy Team has assisted 1000’s of
households to access a wide range of grants, schemes and offers to
make their homes warmer and healthier. We work closely with
the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre (ESTAC) who
provides a referral scheme with a local focus for the benefit of
Sefton residents. However, anyone can contact the ESTAC to obtain
free, impartial advice on home heating and insulation as well as
tips on how to save money on fuel bills.
- Warm Front Grants – Government grant providing
a package of heating and insulation measures to the value of £3500
available to homeowners and private tenants in receipt of certain
benefits/allowances.
- SEARCH – small grants for loft and cavity wall
insulation and home visiting support where a member of the
household suffers from a cold related/respiratory illness.
- Home Energy Loans Project (HELP) – up to £1000
interest free loans offered to home owners for boilers, insulation
and solar water heating (subject to acceptance)
- Health Through Warmth – npower's 'Health
Through Warmth' is a practical scheme that aims to help vulnerable
people whose health is adversely affected by cold, damp living
conditions by facilitating the appropriate installation measures.
This is achieved by offering training sessions to key community
workers who can then identify the links between housing and health
and refer people at risk. Health Through Warmth launched in
Merseyside in 2003 and helps tackle issues relating to fuel
poverty, health inequalities and social exclusion. For more
information call 0151 637 3671 or visit the Health Through Warmth
website.
- Carbon Emissions Reduction
Trading (CERT) – offered by various Utility Companies
to provide insulation measures at a reduced cost. We would advise
clients to obtain quotes from at least 2 or 3 Utility Companies to
compare prices. Please note that these offers can be
intermittent
For more details regarding any of the above schemes, please
contact the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre (ESTAC)
free on 0800 512 012
The Referral Network
If you are a front line worker and have direct contact with
people in their own homes and would like more information on how to
refer people for assistance to make their homes warmer and
healthier, please contact the Energy Saving Trust Advice
Centre (ESTAC) on 0800 512 012 or Debbie Phillips, Affordable
Warmth Co-ordinator on 0151 934 4734 or by email
energy@sefton.gov.ukPartnership Working to Create Warmer, Healthier Homes
Working together across the sectors on overlapping issues is
likely to be more effective than working in isolation. The Sefton
Affordable Warmth Partnership group is made up of members from
across the sectors who meet on a quarterly basis to develop
and progress the aims and objectives of the Sefton Affordable
Warmth action plan. If your organisation would like to get
involved with this group, please contact Debbie Phillips,
Affordable Warmth Co-ordinator on 0151 934 4734 or by email
energy@sefton.gov.ukLast Updated on 10/14/2009