Energy Projects Plus, based in Wallasey, has won a grant of £350,000 to develop a “retrofit buddies” scheme, which will provide one-to-one support for people having energy efficiency measures installed in their homes.
The retrofit buddy will work with the householder to co-design a Personal Action Plan and will then provide advice and support throughout the process.
The scheme is one of seven across the North West, supported with £4m from the Government’s Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) Programme for England.
The North West Net Zero Hub is working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to deliver the programme funding innovative projects piloting new approaches to providing local in-person energy advice.
North West Net Zero Hub is a regional programme to promote investment in energy projects. It is hosted by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Given the recent rise in the number of properties defined as being fuel poor – 13.4% across England in 2022 – the programme is particularly focused on providing energy advice to hard-to-reach customers, such as older people and those with limited internet access.
The data gathered will be used to develop future schemes to reduce fuel poverty, that has a strong link with poor health and quality of life.
Additionally, given the need to retrofit around 1 million properties per year to meet the Government’s net zero objectives, the programme will focus on accelerating decarbonisation within the harder-to-treat property market. These properties are often characterised as being hard-to-treat due to their age and specific building type.
James Johnson, Head of Regional Programme at North West Net Zero Hub, said:
“The North West Net Zero Hub is delighted to be supporting Energy Projects Plus, along with six other projects through the Local Energy Advice Demonstrator competition. This is exciting news for the North West, and a great opportunity for talented North West organisations to carry out innovative approaches, supporting residents to make homes warmer and bills cheaper.”
Peter Owen, Chief Executive of Energy Projects Plus, said:
“A key part of our charity’s work is making energy savings as achievable as possible to those who may otherwise face difficulties in accessing grants or services. This most welcome support from the LEAD pilot programme will make a huge difference to our work and local residents’ ability to maintain a warm and healthy home at an affordable cost.”
• Funding part of £4 million for seven North West projects from Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) Programme for England.
• Energy Projects Plus will work across Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, and Warrington as one of the seven projects.
• Project to focus on harder-to-treat properties due to age and building type and hard-to-reach consumers such as the elderly and those with limited internet access.
• The knowledge and data gathered from each project will support the development of future energy advice initiatives.
Energy regulator, Ofgem, has today announced the Price Cap for standard variable tariffs will fall again from the 1st of October, to £1,923 per year, or £160 per month.
Year-on-year, this appears to be a welcome drop as last October the government’s Energy Price Guarantee was fixing our energy bills at £2,500 per year, or £208 per month.
However, last year, government used part of the windfall tax levied against energy producers to provide £400 to all residential electricity customers, between October and March, reducing the average monthly bill by £67.
This means, the average energy bills for October-December last year were £141 per month, compared to £160 this year. With the continuing Cost of Living Crisis causing many other household bills to surge, we would urge government to commit to further action to ensure households are able to keep warm and well this winter.
If you are a new learner you will need to create an account, to do so please follow the instructions on screen (this will only take a few moments)
Once in the LMS a list of available courses will appear. You have two E-learning courses available to you:
Cadent Foundation Fuel Poverty & Health
Cadent Foundation Introduction to Domestic Energy Efficiency
Please note that there are a number of courses listed, they may have the same title but are for other services. The enrolment keys in red will only work for this specific course, these are numbered 26 & 27 on the LMS produced for Cadent Foundation
Click the link to open the course (this is the course title highlighted in blue). You will be prompted to enter an enrolment key (please note that they are case sensitive)
For the Fuel Poverty and Health E-learning this is: cadent?&59/gC
For the Introduction to Domestic Energy Efficiency this is: cadent?&60/vC
This should then take you to the first page of the course ready for you to begin
The course home page also lists documents relevant to the course and a certificate of completion which will be available once you have successfully completed the course
PLEASE NOTE: courses are designed for use on a laptop of desktop computer and while the course will open on a tablet or mobile phone, some of the functionality of the training may not work.
SUPPORT
Tutor support is available via telephone / video call if you have any questions regarding the course content, to arrange please contact us at tutorsupport@nea.org.uk (please add the course title to the subject line so we know which course your enquiry relates to).
SUGGESTED STUDY TIME
This course will take approximately 2 hours to complete however each learner is different and E-learning offers the flexibility to study at your own pace.
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS
Should you have any special needs or learning requirements with regards to completing this E-learning please let us know as soon as possible so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
EVALUATION
Please take a few moments at the end of the course to complete the short online survey, feedback helps us improve and update the course where needed. It also helps us feedback to funders to enable us to offer this course free of charge.
This week, Sophie from West Kirby Grammar School joined Energy Projects Plus, to complete her work experience. We packed the week with a variety of activities to give a flavour of what life in EPP entails. From attending a charity bake sale, to a drop-in event out in the community, to the nitty-gritty of stock taking, general admin, and testing the fire alarm!
But let’s let Sophie speak for herself:
“Looking back on my week at Energy Projects Plus, I can confirm I had a great time and have no regrets. Everyone here is so friendly and learning about all the different projects, everyone’s jobs and the process of helping people, whether that be with energy debts or fuel vouchers, has been quite the interesting experience! I also learnt some skills I didn’t expect to learn, like how to charge an electric car or how to deal with big tasks/projects. I also went to two events, a bake sale fundraiser, and a drop-in event, and they showed me how those types of events worked (and also kept me busy for a few hours!) Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time at Energy Projects Plus and I’d definitely recommend them for anyone looking for a work experience place.“
Sophie (third from left) joined us for Work Experience
We were pleased to attend this conference at the end of June, held at Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus, hosted by the newly launched Poverty Research and Advocacy Network (PRAN).
As one of our dual charitable aims is the reduction of fuel poverty across Cheshire and Merseyside, we were keen to offer our local insights, and help drive the conversation, while learning as much as we can about other work in the arena of poverty prevention/relief.
As well as attending as delegates, Katie (pictured, above) delivered an advice stall over lunch, to show other delegates the kind of stall we deliver at community events, and offer them the opportunity to take away some of our literature, and subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
During the final discussion panel, Dominic (pictured right, 3rd from left) was challenged to define “what good would look like” in terms of the eradication of poverty. Dominic outlined the current definition of fuel poverty in England, which is:
The property has an EPC rating of E-G, and
The total net household income would be pushed below the poverty line, should the household heat their home to a sufficient standard.
UK government’s intention to raise as many fuel poor properties as practicable to an EPC rating of A-C by 2030 will essentially eliminate fuel poverty in England, under this current definition. However, Dominic was keen to point out that our work would continue to assist people who struggle to afford to heat their homes sufficiently. We will therefore need to increase our use of the term “Affordable Warmth” in place of “Fuel Poverty” to describe the work we do.
Dominic suggested the current definition of poverty as being households earning below 60% of the median national income means poverty will be with us forever. Even if all households can afford to thrive and do not consider themselves poor, there will always be somebody earning below 60% of the median national income. Therefore, to eradicate poverty we need to redefine it in terms of “absolute” rather than “relative” poverty, and we can only then set targets to reduce it and ultimately eradicate it.
We were pleased to attend the Housing Plus Academy’s recent think tank event, entitled “Damp and Mould: The Big Picture” which was hosted by NCRC (National Communities Resource Centre) at Trafford Hall in Cheshire.
Delegates arrived from around the country, with most representing social housing providers, or Local Authorities. We were keen to attend to provide our local insight, and to learn any new best practice examples from elsewhere.
Our own Dominic Griffiths (pictured) delivered a short presentation entitled “Dealing with Damp and Mould” that we use to clarify what types of damp problems a tenant should feel empowered to help prevent/alleviate (i.e. condensation), and what types of damp problems a tenant must escalate to their landlord for remedy (i.e. rising damp and penetrating damp), with an emphasis that black mould must always be removed swiftly, even if it keeps returning. Black mould is too bad for the tenant’s health for it to remain, and if the tenant wants their landlord (or 3rd party such as ourselves) to see it, they should take a photograph.
In the wake of the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale that was linked by the coroner to the presence of black mould in his home, “Awaab’s Law” will force social landlords to fix damp and mould within strict time limits, in a new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. This means our focus turns to private tenants whose landlords might not take action so quickly, and homeowners who have nobody to escalate their problems to.
The main insights we took from the day were:
The social landlords present are demonstrably passionate about working to prevent another needless death from damp and mould.
There was a general agreement that years of insulating properties without increasing ventilation, has led to many properties being too airtight, meaning damp air cannot escape. Funding is required to retrofit suitable ventilation systems.
One landlord in particular was keen to separate out “Damp and Mould” into “Condensation, Leaks, Damp and Mould”, separating condensation that can be affected by lifestyle, from other forms of damp that cannot, plus an emergency response to leaks, e.g. burst pipes, and missing roof tiles, which need to be remedied quicker than failed damp proof courses and cracked guttering, due to the amount of water they let into the property, and the damage they cause.
There is an increasing amount of technology that can be used to track damp in the home. While most of this is being utilised by social landlords, so they can respond to “alerts” from devices they leave in properties, there is scope for private landlords and homeowners to utilise these too.
The Grenfell disaster led to social landlords increasing their focus on fire safety, and Awaab’s death has led to an increased focus on damp and mould. There was a great worry in the room that they’re lurching reactively from disaster to disaster, as there is insufficient funding to proactively ensure all housing is improved to meet current expectation. Without that funding the next disaster could now be developing, while landlord attentions are focussed elsewhere.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme was a £400 discount paid monthly to 28 million eligible households in Great Britain. The payments of £66 or £67 were credited directly to energy accounts for people who pay by Direct Debit or Standing Order or cash on receipt of bill.
For prepayment meter customers, their electricity supplier had to issue them with a fuel voucher each month. This could have been sent via text message or email, or as a paper voucher issued through the post.
Around 2 million vouchers sent to prepayment customers have not yet been redeemed, and are due to expire on the 30th of June.
If you are a prepayment meter customer and you have unredeemed fuel vouchers, then don’t delay, take them to your usual top-up shop and credit them to your account before the end of the month.
If you’ve missed any of the six monthly vouchers due to support your energy bills between October 2022 and March 2023, then speak to your energy supplier as a matter of urgency, and ask for them to be reissued to you.
Fuel Bank Foundation has created a webpage explaining how the scheme worked, who to contact, and also offers to make contact with energy suppliers on behalf of anybody who is struggling to make contact themselves. Read more here: www.fuelbankfoundation.org/ebss
We welcomed last week’s highly anticipated announcement from Ofgem, that the Price Cap will reduce from the 1st of July. While we don’t want to be killjoys, the new average annual energy bill of £2,074 is still approximately double what it was before the start of the Gas Crisis. And we still had clients struggling when the typical bill was £100 per month. So we are a long way away from seeing any kind of return to normality.
The headlines for us are as follows:
Nothing is changing till the 1st of July
With every Ofgem announcement, we receive enquiries from people confused about why nothing’s changed on their energy accounts. Ofgem always makes its announcement with at least a month to go before any changes take effect.
The typical monthly payment due for combined gas and electricity will be around £175
This is based on an average annual consumption of 12,000 kilowatt hours for gas, and 2,900 kilowatt hours for electricity. Check your bills to see what your annual consumption is. If yours is higher, then you’ll pay more.
Prepay gas meter customers need to keep topping up through summer
If you pay by direct debit, you’re protected from seasonal variation as you overpay in the summer and underpay in the winter. If you use a prepay meter then you have no such protection, and your bills will rise significantly in the winter months. Some residents are happy to accept this, as they get to pay nothing during the summer. However, the average daily rate is staying at 29p for gas meters, which is £8.80 per month. If you’ve turned off your heating and think you won’t need to top-up again till September/October, you may well find your meter is in arrears, and you’ll need to clear this before any money you top-up actually provides you with gas. We have clients falling into this trap every Autumn. We would encourage everybody to keep topping up as much as they can, as often as they can, to protect against this, and maybe even provide themselves with a bit of a financial cushion against the coming Winter.
Switching is returning, slowly…
Some energy suppliers have dabbled with tariffs that are better than the Price Cap. But these tend to be only for existing customers, and limited in terms of how many people can take advantage of them. Some suppliers have announced tariffs available to customers of other suppliers. These are unlikely to be promoted via price comparison websites, so customers will likely need to approach suppliers directly. We’ve already heard anecdotally of some unscrupulous conduct, with door-knockers encouraging residents to fix to deals that aren’t the best choice financially. We’ll always advise against doorstep selling of energy. The best deal cannot be calculated right now, without an accurate picture of how many kilowatt hours the household uses per year, and ideally some better idea of what the Price Cap is going to be in October and January. Cornwall Insights (the team that Martin Lewis uses for his energy predictions) suggest our bills are likely to drop a little in October, and rise a little in January. So if you do want to fix for peace of mind, then you’re probably going to be safe if you fix around the level of the upcoming price cap, which looks like this:
Fuel
Price per kilowatt hour (p)
Daily Charge (p)
Electricity
30
53
Gas
8
29
Please note these prices will vary by region and we’ve not yet seen what that will mean for Cheshire & Merseyside
The King has been crowned, every week seems short with bank holidays and there is sunshine in the back garden… May is here!
The heating is (for the most part) off, making this the perfect time to prepare for next winter. There is no stopping for Energy Projects Plus in the mission to help struggling community members to improve energy efficiency, tackle fuel poverty, and reduce carbon emissions.
In this issue you will find: A Trusted Hands Film, a big hug, project updates, partner events, case studies and more.
Enjoy,
Melanie
British Gas Energy Trust have published a short film about the fantastic work of their funded organisations and how their energy debt grants help people.
You may recognise one of the charities featured in the the film 🙂
Do you know someone who needs a HUG?
The second round of the “Home Upgrade Grant” (HUG) is available in Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens, and Wirral, with an incredibly generous £25,000 maximum spend per property, on such energy efficient home improvement measures as insulation (loft, room-in-room, cavity wall, solid wall, under-floor), renewable technologies (solar photovoltaic (PV) panels) and low carbon heating (air source heat pumps).
Eligibility
Homes must be using anything other than mains gas as their primary heating source (they can be connected to the gas network for cooking, or even for a gas fire or two, but not for central heating).
Households must be on a low income*
Properties must have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D**, E, F or G. You can check this here: www.epcregister.com
Either apply directly via the relevant Local Authority, or call our Save Energy Advice Line free on 0800 043 0151 if you have further questions, or would like assistance in applying.
Eligible tenants may apply. Their landlords will be required to contribute at least 1/3 of the cost of the works installed.
* Low income is calculated differently depending on the Local Authority area:
Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester
You receive an income related benefit (for example, Universal Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee, Council Tax Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Tax Credits)
Your total combined annual household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £31,000
Your total combined annual household income before tax, National Insurance and other deductions is no more than £20,000 after your housing costs have been deducted (by housing costs, we mean mortgage payments, rent payments and Council Tax)
Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens, and Wirral
Your total household income is below £30,000
Your total household income is above £30,000 but below the “minimum income” indicated using this online minimum income calculator: www.minimumincome.org.uk
** Funding for D-rated properties is limited.
===
Either apply directly via the relevant Local Authority, or call our Save Energy Advice Line free on 0800 043 0151 if you have further questions, or would like assistance in applying.
Find a Property’s Gas and Electricity Suppliers
Thank you to one of our partners for the tip on this website that advises which gas supplier associated with any property: https://www.findmysupplier.energy/
Definitely worth adding to web browser bookmarks for ease of access when talking to clients.
Liverpool Events:
Energy Projects Plus advisors will now be based in the Life Rooms in Walton & Lee Valley to support clients in Liverpool.
Life Rooms Walton events will take place every 2nd Monday between 1-4 pm. Starting on Monday, 12th June
Life Rooms Lee Valley will be on 1st Friday of each month. Starting Friday 2nd June.
The TechKnow project is designed to empower Wirral residents to ‘do digital’ their own way, safely. Energy Projects Plus is ready to help our community make sense of technology and resources related to saving energy, saving water, and reducing their carbon footprint.
With more and more essential services going online, digital knowhow is a life skill worth learning. To try to make energy, water, and carbon awareness services easier and more accessible for everyone, Energy Projects Plus is delivering a series of ‘Digital Drop-In Events’ to help navigate a set of useful links to give residents the support they need to make their digital life that little bit easier.
If you would like Energy Projects to join you for a digital inclusion event, or have any questions about the project, please email melanie.nolan@epplus.org
Mrs M from Liverpool had been struggling to pay her bills so she called Energy Projects Plus. She received a home visit from one of our Energy Advisors, Bob. During the home visit Bob completed a benefit check where he realised Mrs M was not receiving the income support she was eligible for, including pension credit and personal independence payments.
After speaking to Inland Revenue on behalf of the client, Bob was successful in obtaining 3 months back pay in the amount of £364 and an extra £121.33 every month.
But Bob didn’t stop there. He has filed the paperwork to get Mrs M further support which could result in an additional £748.59 per month. She will find out in the next 12 weeks whether she has been successful. Bob has a date in his diary to follow up.
We have our fingers crossed for you Mrs M!
Mental Health Awareness
The cost of living crisis has caused a significant increase in households and individuals facing mental health issues. As a result Energy Projects Plus is expecting to seen an increase in the number of our clients facing these issues.
We want to ensure that staff attending community events and home visits are more able to recognise clients who are struggling and be aware of how to offer our services in a way that enables them to engage to their best advantage.
As a result we have enrolled the majority of our staff on the Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Mental Health Problems, funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
We hope this course will help our already skilled Energy Advisors develop their understanding of mental health and the causes of mental distress.
Energy Projects Plus has worked with British Gas Energy Trust since 2014, helping some of our region’s most vulnerable residents to access funds that can reduce/clear their fuel debts. This can lead households to better manage their finances in future, by providing them with an invaluable ‘clean slate’ alongside the energy efficiency advice and support that we provide to all clients.
This in-depth, detailed fuel debt work we undertake can lead to financial benefits that are life-changing for our clients. In some cases it can potentially be life-saving.
British Gas Energy Trust has produced “Trusted Hands” which provides an overview of how organisations like Energy Projects Plus work to provide these solutions to clients.
To enquire about support for yourself or another person, or to find out more about our other projects, call our Save Energy Advice Line free on 0800 043 0151, or email advice@epplus.org.
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