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.

In light of new Government guidelines we have closed our main office and will deliver our services through staff working from home.

This will limit the range of services we were previously able to provide but our main telephone advice service, SEAL, will continue to be available to all residents across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Additionally, our British Gas Energy Trust Warm Homes LCR programme will continue to deliver its service to clients through telephone and email.

We will also continue to receive referrals for the broken boiler scheme (ECHO) and first time central heating (Connected for Warmth).

All referrals or client calls should be directed through SEAL on 0800 043 0151 or advice@epplus.org which will be available between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Clients telephoning us will need to leave a message and we will return all calls as soon as possible.

Energy Projects Plus are working with AgilityEco to offer fully funded first-time central heating to Merseyside residents.

Connected for Warmth is a new service designed to help eligible private and private rented sector households make big savings on their fuel bills.

The scheme will provide a free first-time gas connection and energy-efficient heating system to eligible fuel poor homes.

Connected for Warmth will be delivered across the entire Cadent gas distribution network, which includes the North West, Midlands, East of England and North London.

It is funded by the Warm Homes Fund, a £150 million national fund provided by National Grid and administered by Affordable Warmth Solutions. Cadent are also contributing towards the cost of the heating systems. The scheme will be administered in Merseyside by Energy Projects Plus.

To be eligible, residents need to be in receipt of qualifying benefits, or qualify under their local authority’s Eco Flex criteria.

Applicants will be asked to complete a quick survey to determine their eligibility for the scheme. If successful they will receive a free gas connection, and new gas central heating system utilising the latest energy efficient boilers.

While homeowners and tenants will pay nothing toward the scheme, private landlords will need to make a small contribution to have a system installed, should their property be eligible.

Jeremy Nesbitt, Managing Director of AWS said: “This new scheme will provide a fresh avenue out of fuel poverty for those struggling with the cost of heating their homes.”

He added: “As the temperature drops and we enter what’s projected to be a very cold winter the need for this kind of scheme has never been stronger. Connected for Warmth will be a valuable tool in the fight to ensure no one has to face the heart-breaking choice between heating and eating.”

Eligible applicants will be offered a free LEAP home energy visit from Energy Projects Plus.

LEAP is available to those in fuel poverty, low income, or vulnerable to living in a cold home. During the visit, a qualified advisor provides advice on reducing energy bills including tariff switch, referral for benefits and fuel debt advice, plus installation of energy saving measures such as LED bulbs.

In addition, fully funded boiler replacements are available to home owners with a broken gas boiler.

To find out more call Energy Projects Plus on 0800 043 0151 to speak with an advisor and arrange your LEAP home energy visit.  

To celebrate the Liverpool City Region’s Year of Environment, we’re asking you to Go Green! and switch to a green energy tariff with the Merseyside Collective Switch.

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.

If the winning tariffs aren’t right for you, we will help you find one that is. Plus, by switching with the Merseyside Collective Switch, you will be helping to support charity Energy Projects Plus, who work with local people who are vulnerable to the cold or living in fuel poverty.

The Merseyside Collective Switch has been running since 2013. Together, we’ve helped local people save £1.5 million on their energy bills.

This year, we’re asking you to think about going green. Most of the larger suppliers now offer green tariffs, which means they use renewable energy sources such as wind power, rather than fossil fuels.

Alan Jemmett, Director, Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service said:

“Collective switching is a great opportunity for securing a greener energy supplier and giving communities an opportunity to save on bills and avoid fuel poverty.

Year of Environmental Action for the Liverpool City Region is delighted to partner this initiative. Sustainable Energy is one of our themes for 2019. By switching energy and using it wisely you can make a personal contribution to climate emergencies.

Why not, as part of YOE2019LCR pledge to switch to a sustainable energy supplier? #iwill4yoe at yoe2019lcr.org.uk”

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

Whether you’re a savvy or reluctant switcher, it’s always worth shopping around to check if you’re on the best deal. If you haven’t switched recently you may be on your suppliers most expensive standard tariff. You may find a better deal elsewhere or even with your existing supplier.

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.
Offers have been included for prepayment meter (or pay as you go) customers as well as direct debit and pay on receipt of bill customers, so there’s something for everyone.

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

Registration for this round closes on 10th 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/join-the-switch/
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.

The Warm Homes Programme aims to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people by increasing their ability to afford a warm home. The programme provides face-to-face and telephone support to vulnerable residents across Liverpool City Region. It offers casework assistance to vulnerable residents needing deeper support to deal with tariff and billing issues, fuel and water debt, budgeting and income maximisation and general energy efficiency advice. It also refers to other schemes and agencies, both internal and external, sourcing help with white goods, boilers and heating and small energy efficiency measures. Area covered is within the local authority boundaries of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and the geographical boundary of Wirral.

Sustainable Seacombe, a programme that will support over 10,000 local residents in Seacombe to better afford to keep warm in their homes, launches today (17^th January) with the support of Martin Cave, Chairman of OFGEM and Philip Sellwood, CEO of Energy Saving Trust.

The programme, led by local charity Energy Projects Plus, will bring together a wide range of local partners to provide direct and practical support on how to reduce fuel bills, keep warmer at home, and access financial support to improve heating or meet the cost of unaffordable bills.

The programme is funded through OFGEM’s Voluntary Redress Fund together with funding through the Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund, Wirral Council and other programmes.

Peter Owen, Chief Executive of Energy Projects Plus, said, “We have developed Sustainable Seacombe to bring direct financial and health benefits to residents in our local community and are extremely grateful to receive the funding to enable us to deliver our 12 month programme.”

The programme is being launched at a community advice event at Seacombe Library from 2pm-4pm with a range of local organisations providing information, advice and entertainment to residents who attend.