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Fuel poverty alleviated for
thousands
MORE than 3,300 households living in
fuel poverty in Liverpool have benefited from a partnership between energy giant
Scottish Power and Mayor Joe Anderson's Hope Fund.
The ScottishPower Energy
People Trust, an independent charity which provides funding to registered
charities to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people out of fuel poverty,
awarded a ₤50,000 grant to Mayor Joe Anderson's Hope Fund, last October 2017.
Around 14% of households in the City are living in fuel poverty, which equates
to around 30,000 homes, the worst rate in the country. It is estimated poor
housing conditions cause up to 500 deaths and 5,000 illnesses requiring medical
attention each year.
Over the last 12 months, trained energy advisors from the
City Council's Healthy Homes team have been working with local families to help
them reduce energy costs. This includes switching to cheaper tariffs, checking
they are claiming all the benefits they are entitled to and improving energy
efficiency.
The grant provided by the Trust was used to bring in additional
funds and in total it helped assist 3,312 households. This includes:-
► ₤230,000 worth of energy efficiency improvements including:- repairs to
boilers and radiators, gas safety checks, whole house draught proofing and the
installation of LED light bulbs.
► ₤33,060 of fuel debt assistance to help people pay gas and electricity bills.
► Making sure households were claiming all the benefits they were entitled to
worth ₤213,000 for 122 households, equivalent to ₤1,700 each.
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- "The funding from the ScottishPower Energy
People's Trust has made a huge difference, we have turned the ₤50k into almost
half a million pounds worth of improvements for local households. Tackling
poverty is a priority for the City because there are far too many people
struggling to make ends meet due to the impact of austerity. We have also set up
our own electricity and gas supplier, The Leccy, to offer competitive tariffs
and have also established the Mayoral Hardship totalling ₤2 million over the
next 3 years to alleviate growing pressures on low income households."
The team also attended 57 community events and
visited GP surgeries to raise awareness of fuel poverty. A total of 39 frontline
staff have also been trained in giving energy efficiency advice. The City's
Healthy Homes programme is open to any resident in the City, regardless of
whether they own or rent a property, who has difficulty paying their gas or
electricity bills, or struggles to heat up their home. A team of qualified
energy awareness Officers are on hand to:-
► Give advice on understanding bills and using less energy.
► The installation of LED lighting.
► Draft proof a property.
► Help with minor window casement repair/
► Organise repair or replacement of a boiler.
► Organise to replace radiators.
► Look at how residents can switch to a cheaper energy provider.
► Check to see residents are receiving all the benefits they are entitled to.
► Install full central heating systems for those properties without (subject to
eligibility.)
The service is free and can be accessed by calling:- 0800 012 1754 or emailing:-
HealthyHomesProgramme@Liverpool.Gov.UK. Any
work carried out following advice from the team can potentially be covered by
grants of up to ₤500 per property.
Tenants in private rented properties should
approach your landlord 1st; if you are on certain qualifying benefits your
landlord may qualify for Energy Company Obligation (ECO) support towards the
replacement of the boiler and insulation.
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