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

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 

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.