Energy Projects Plus CEO, Peter Owen reflects on 2021 in this end of year message to our valued funders, referrers, patrons and partners. 

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2021 has been another challenging year with the Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changing how we and our partners operate our services. It has also led to ever increasing demand for our services.

Our teams have worked tirelessly throughout the year to support as many people as possible and will be taking a well-earned break over the Christmas and New Year period.

Our work has focussed on two areas: the climate emergency and fuel poverty. There is a clear connection between the two in that improving energy efficiency directly reduces fuel use thus lowering carbon emissions and fuel bills.

Over the year we have provided advice and other support to over 6,000 households.

We helped over 1,100 people apply for their £140 Warm Home Discount payment – an important support for vulnerable people to afford winter fuel bills.

We have directly issued 1,400 emergency fuel vouchers to people facing the direct risk of their lights and heating going off.

We made nearly 400 home visits to vulnerable residents to assist with issues ranging from broken heating systems or appliances, not knowing how to use or adequately control their heating system, understanding fuel bills or switching supplier, installing easy measures such as LED lightbulbs or radiator panels, and also to deliver emergency heaters to homes where no heat is present.

With our partners we have also trained 200 people in Carbon Literacy so that they have a greater understanding of what their impact on the environment is, and also how they can personally start to make changes for the better.

2022 will become even more difficult for those people struggling to afford their fuel bills as the cost of fuel is expected to rise overnight in April by over £40 per month. For those of us fortunate to be able to accommodate such an increase we must recognise that this will be unaffordable for many many people who will have two simple choices- switch off or face debt.

The excitement of COP26 in November ran parallel to the huge concerns raised by the serious rise in gas prices that now fills many people with dread for the new year.

This is where there is a direct crossover between fuel poverty and the climate emergency. The solution to both is to reduce our energy needs and demands, and thus our costs, through effective energy efficiency programmes underpinned by a comprehensive and credible advice and support service.

However, in the drive for a just transition there is no point in simply adding the huge cost of decarbonising homes onto all fuel bills as it will be the fuel poor who bear a disproportionate cost and may ultimately not escape the daily pressure of keeping warm and well at an affordable price.

As our charity reflects on our impact during 2021 we express our thanks to all our funders for their invaluable support, financial and other, as well as our partners in delivery and those 400 plus active referrers who are all committed to the same goals as our charity.

Our charity’s focus for 2022 is to build on our previous 25 years of action and increase our work around the interconnected issues of the climate emergency and fuel poverty. We see that deeper support to households across both themes will help achieve the lasting changes we need, and we look forward to working with partners, old and new, to make this aspiration a reality.

Energy Project Plus’ LEAP team are back providing a mix of full home energy visits, telephone advice calls and short follow up visits across Merseyside and Cheshire.

The usual support is available including free energy saving measures, support with switching energy tariff, advice on saving energy at home, warm home discount applications, priority service registration, benefits maximisation and more.

To be eligible for LEAP, residents need to be low income, have a health condition made worse by cold or another vulnerability. We can support owner occupiers, private renters and social housing tenants.

In addition, the following LEAP schemes have re-opened:

ECHO

Providing fully funded gas boiler repair or replacements.

To be eligible, the resident must be an owner occupier, in receipt of benefits, or eligible under their Local Authority Statement of Intent for Eco Flex.

The boiler must be fully broken, with the resident in, or intermittently in a no heat situation.

HEART

Providing fully funded replacement white goods – electric cookers, washing machine, fridges, freezers and fridge freezers.

To be eligible, the resident needs to be in receipt of benefits, or on a low income.

They can be owner occupiers, privately renting or social housing tenants, as long as they own the appliance and are responsible for paying their own energy bills.

There must be an existing appliance to replace and this needs to be at least 9 years old. It doesn’t need to be broken.

Please refer to the above schemes using our usual referral form

Ellie Abernethy has been named Energy Efficiency Champion of the Year at the North West Energy Efficiency Awards.

The award recognises one exceptional individual that has shown a true commitment to promoting energy efficiency within their region. It recognises the efforts of that individual and seeks to thank them for their service to their local community.

Ellie has been Project Manager at Energy Projects Plus for more than 12 years, and has delivered some of EPP’s largest projects including the Merseyside Collective Switch, LEAP, Warm & Healthy Homes and Warmth for Health.

She was nominated for the award by AgilityEco and Lorraine Gumbs, Programme Development Manager, said:

“The AgilityEco team was thoroughly delighted to nominate Ellie for this award. We are gratified that the judging panel has recognised her stellar efforts to improve the energy efficiency of homes in Merseyside and Cheshire, and in turn, improve the health and wellbeing of local people. She has, without a doubt, contributed to life-changing outcomes for some of the households she has referred to the LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership) programme. Congratulations to Ellie on a well-deserved win!”

The award ceremony was held at the Last Drop Village in Bolton at the start of September, having been postponed from March 2020.

The win follows Ellie achieving Highly Commended in the same category at the 2019 regional awards, and receiving a Special Commendation at the 2019 National Awards.

Ofgem have announced an increase to the energy price cap of £139 from 1 October.

Around 15 million households are currently covered by the price cap, which will see their typical bill increase from £1,138 to £1,277. Prepayment customers will see a larger increase of £153.

The increase is due to a 50% rise in wholesale energy costs over the last six months, with gas prices at a record high.  

If you are on your supplier’s standard variable tariff, or if your fixed tariff is coming to an end and you haven’t switched, you can expect your bills to be affected.

The good news is, the Merseyside Collective Switch is here to help.

Set up in 2013, the Merseyside Collective Switch is one of the longest running local authority Collective Switches in the country. Delivered by local charity Energy Projects Plus, in partnership with the six local authorities in the Liverpool City Region, it has so far, helped local people save over £1.5 million on their energy bills. 

Collective switching works by using the power of the group to negotiate cheaper energy tariffs from suppliers. The Merseyside Collective Switch winning tariffs have often been the cheapest on the market and are available exclusively to its members. Anyone can join, it’s completely free and there is no obligation to switch if you don’t want to.

Previous winning deals have included Big 6 suppliers such as British Gas, E.on, SSE and EDF Energy as well as Ovo and Green Energy.

The Merseyside Collective Switch also includes a full market comparison, so if the winning deals aren’t right for you, you can find one that is.

As exclusive offers are only available to members, you will need to register by 8 September to be eligible. Once you’ve registered, you will be able to access exclusive offers time and time again, and can make sure you’re not missing out on a great deal on your energy.

Registration is completely free and your data will only be used to provide you with information about the winning energy tariffs.

Plus, by switching with the Merseyside Collective Switch, you will be helping to support local charity, Energy Projects Plus, who provide vital support to local people who are living in fuel poverty.

Switching your energy tariff with the Merseyside Collective Switch is both quick and easy, and it could prevent you from overpaying hundreds of pounds a year.

The next set of winning offers will be available from 9 September, providing time for you to compare and fix your energy tariff ahead of the price rises.

Peter Owen, CEO at Energy Projects Plus said “We are proud to have been offering this free switching service, which is specifically designed to benefit people across the Liverpool City Region, for eight years now. The Merseyside Collective Switch is here to support everyone through the switching process to make sure you’re not paying more than you need to. With the price cap increase looming, and more energy price hikes on their way, it’s now more important than ever to make sure you’re not paying more than you should be for your gas and electricity”.  

Registration for this round closes on 8 September.  

Members will then be contacted with the deals that have been negotiated for the group.

To join the Collective Switch visit www.lcrenergyswitch.co.uk

or call the local Save Energy Advice Line on freephone 0800 043 0151, where you can also get other free and impartial support to help reduce your energy bills.

The Warm Home Discount is a government-backed scheme that means energy suppliers with 200,000 or more customers must provide one-off credits of £140 to vulnerable customers.

Most energy suppliers open their Warm Home Discount schemes in September, but Utilita opens theirs for just one week in August.

To be eligible, you must have an electricity account with Utilita, and be in either the “Core Group” or “Broader Group”.

If you are in the Broader Group, you must apply for the £140 credit, or you will miss out.

Utilita applications open Wednesday, 11 August 2021 and close on Wednesday, 18 August 2021.

All Broader Group applicants will be told whether their application was successful by the end of October 2021. Payments are made between then and 31 March 2022.

If you switch from Utilita to a new supplier before you receive the Warm Home Discount you may not receive your payment.

Miss Williams is a local Utilita customer. She said; “I’m a single working mum of four. Having young children means I can’t turn off lights or the heating as a way to save on bills. The Warm Home Discount is a real help and reduces my winter energy bill significantly. Even more welcome so soon after Christmas.”

Apply via the “My Utlita” app, visit www.utilita.co.uk or call Utilita on 0345 207 2000.

For more free, expert advice on how to spend less on your energy bills visit www.epplus.org.uk

Wirral residents living in areas where homes are older and less energy efficient can access help to lower their bills whilst keeping their homes warm and being more environmentally friendly as a new grant scheme is launched.

The scheme will allow those eligible to access up to £10,000 worth of home improvement works for either insulation or installing solar power.

Installing either insulation or solar panels for electricity or heating water will not only make a home more environmentally friendly by reducing the CO₂ emissions, and therefore the carbon footprint of the home, but will help to lower bills by reducing the amount of energy required for heating.

Eligibility for the scheme depends on area, the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of a property and household income.

Residents, or private landlords on behalf of their tenants, can apply for the funding and check eligibility by visiting the council’s website and filling out a short form. Any landlord should have their tenant’s permission before making an application on their behalf.

Check eligibility and apply for funding by visiting www.wirral.gov.uk/greengrants

Alternatively, those interested in applying for the scheme, can call Energy Projects Plus (EPP), who are supporting the council with this scheme, on 0800 043 0151 or email advice@epplus.org

Applications will be open until Thursday 30 September 2021.

Homeowners or landlords eligible for this scheme will be provided with an in-depth survey to help decide which home improvements are the most suitable for their property. Work carried out can include solid wall or cavity wall insulation, insulation for lofts (including top-ups), suspended timber floors or rooms-in-roofs, upgrading single glazing to double glazing, solar power water heating or solar electricity panels. Any works will be arranged by a company working with the council and carried out by a certified tradesperson.

All funding provided by Green Home Grants Local Authority Delivery must be spent by Friday 31 December 2021.

The scheme follows the previous government voucher scheme to help people across the UK make home improvements for less. Certain areas of the borough are eligible for the grant based on criteria set by national government.

For more information about energy efficient home improvements, take a look around the EPP website www.epplus.org.uk

Free Carbon Literacy training is being offered to up to 400 community and faith group members across the Liverpool City Region, thanks to a grant from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Community Environment Fund.

Aiming to help local community groups tackle climate change the training will give learners an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities together with the ability and motivation to reduce harmful carbon emissions, on an individual and community basis.

The training is being provided by local charities Energy Projects Plus and Faiths4Change together with social enterprise Zero Carbon Liverpool.

Peter Owen, Chief Executive of Energy Projects Plus said: “We are really pleased to have received this important funding that will help us increase community action on climate change. By working together at community level we can achieve meaningful improvements to our local areas while tackling this global issue.”

By successfully completing a minimum of 8 hours’ worth of Carbon Literacy training, learners will also be declared ‘Carbon Literate’ and receive a certificate issued by the nationally recognised Carbon Literacy Project.

Community groups and members can find out more by visiting carbon literate communities or enquire by emailing clc@epplus.org or calling 0800 043 0151.

The Merseyside Fuel Poverty Conference takes place on Friday, 19th March 2021 from 1:00pm- 3:30pm, sponsored by British Gas Energy Trust.

This online conference is set to bring together front-line practitioners and experts within the fuel poverty and energy industry to learn from industry experts and create solutions for fuel poverty within our region. 

Starting at 1:00pm with contributions and presentations from:

• Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive, British Gas Energy Trust
• Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
• Peter Owen, Chief Executive, Energy Projects Plus
• Kirsten Horton, BEIS Senior Policy Advisor, Fuel Poverty
• Gearoid Lane, CEO, AgilityEco
• Ed Kingsley, Strategic Housing & Investment, Wirral Council
• Neil Barnes, Deputy Director Future Retail Markets, Ofgem

Presentations will be followed by a panel Q&A session.

Delegates will then be invited to join breakout sessions to meet in smaller groups for collaboration, discussion, and possible solutions on four meaningful topics:

1. Online community engagement
2. Retrofit- TECHNOLOGY barriers
3. Retrofit- FINANCIAL barriers
4. How ‘Green’ are vulnerable clients?

For more information, and to book your tickets visit: 
Merseyside Fuel Poverty Conference Tickets, Fri 19 Mar 2021 at 13:00 | Eventbrite

In the last collective switching round, members of the Merseyside Collective Switch saved an average of £300 a year by switching to a better energy tariff.

The Merseyside Collective Switch has been running since 2013, and is one of the longest running Local Authority Collective Switches in the country. Together, we’ve helped local people save over £1.5 million on their energy bills. 

Run by local charity Energy Projects Plus, in partnership with your local authority, the Merseyside Collective Switch uses the power of the group to negotiate cheap energy tariffs, available exclusively to its members. Anyone can join and it’s completely free.

Once you’ve registered, you will be able to access exclusive offers and can make sure you’re not missing out on a great deal on your energy.

The winning tariffs have often been the cheapest on the market. Previous winners have included Big 6 suppliers such as British Gas, E.on, SSE and EDF Energy as well as Ovo and Green Energy.

The Merseyside Collective Switch also includes a full market comparison, so if the winning deals aren’t right for you, you can find one that is.

Plus, by switching with the Merseyside Collective Switch, you will be helping to support Energy Projects Plus, who provide vital support to local people who are living in fuel poverty.

Switching your energy tariff with the Merseyside Collective Switch is both quick and easy, and it could save you hundreds of pounds a year.

Peter Owen, CEO at Energy Projects Plus said “We are proud to have been offering this switching service, which is specifically designed to benefit the people of Merseyside, for seven years now. Whether you’re a savvy or reluctant switcher, it’s always worth shopping around to check if you’re on the best deal. The Merseyside Collective Switch is here to support everyone and anyone through the switching process to make sure you’re not paying more than you need to, particularly at this challenging time”.  

The service is free, and there’s no obligation to switch if you decide not to.

As exclusive deals are only available to members, you will need to register to be eligible. Registration is completely free and your data will only be used to provide you with information about the winning energy tariffs.

Registration for this round closes on Tuesday 20^th October.  We will then contact you to let you know about the deals that have been negotiated for the group.

To join the Collective Switch visit www.lcrenergyswitch.co.uk/

or call the local Save Energy Advice Line on freephone 0800 043 0151, where you can also get other free and impartial support to help you save energy at home.