Funded Energy Redress Projects

Warmer Homes West Midlands is an ambitious partnership programme to provide a universal, top-level energy advice service for the fuel poor across the seven urban local authority areas in the West Midlands Combined Authority area. This is a large-scale energy advice programme will help over 7,000 vulnerable households, create nine new jobs and help secure a further eight jobs. The project aims to reduce fuel poverty and improve the health and wellbeing of people with pre-existing cold and damp related medical conditions, through energy saving advice, energy saving measures an income maximisation advice. Advice will be delivered by a team of qualified energy advisors by telephone, through case work, home visits and community events where it is safe to do so. A team of community outreach workers will ensure that as wide a range of people as possible will be able to take advantage of Warmer Homes West Midlands.

This project aims to develop an approach to renewable energy development processes that puts communities, and nuanced community conversations, that pro-actively include vulnerable and future consumers, at the heart of identifying and specifying how and where renewable energy projects are developed. 

Through the deployment and further development of the Future Energy Landscapes (FEL) methodology, the project will address critical gaps in community engagement that limits the number of renewable energy projects and opportunities to deliver benefits to local communities.

Direct benefits to local consumers include ensuring that: new renewable projects are consistent with people’s relationships with local landscapes, opportunities for co-benefits are maximised, local preferences for ownership, co-ownership and influence are explored, innovative options for local retail are considered and community members have the time, space and opportunity to specify their needs and priorities for community benefit funds.

The project aims to deliver a community heat network powered by local hydropower, solar panels, river water, and home retrofitting, managed under a Community Energy Services Company (CESCO) in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Following a feasibility study, the project will provide training to build the community's capability to operate the CESCO and establish a foundation for expanding the initiative across more villages in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Training community members to manage this network will empower them with valuable skills, create local jobs and strengthen community cohesion. Retrofitting homes for energy efficiency will improve living conditions, especially for at-risk households facing fuel poverty. The impact will be significantly reduced carbon emissions and energy costs.

The project will continue to build on successful delivery of a previous project, providing vulnerable residents with tailored in-depth energy advice. The project aims to help residents reduce energy usage and cost through long-term practical and behavioural changes, with follow-up support as needed.

They will expand access channels to advice in various locations. Continue in-person advice through drop-ins, pop-ups, and individual sessions based on built experience from the last two years. Deliver group talks and workshops in the community, and provide referrals to their specialist advice teams and other relevant services. 

The project will work with health practitioners, local authorities, and other partners to provide advice and support to vulnerable residents in Merseyside, aimed at reducing the detriment they face trying to keep affordably warm at home. Building on and aligning previous Energy Redress funded projects and recent NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Fuel Poverty Pilots, their qualified, specialist Energy Advisors will provide personalised in-depth advice to residents referred directly from clinical teams and their broader community network and referral partner organisations.

The project aims to provide detailed, high-quality telephone and face to face energy advice as well as delivering in-home energy advice sessions, highlighting practical ways to reduce energy demand and costs, including better use of existing heating controls, alternative tariffs, and behavioural changes to energy use. They will also support with referrals to other schemes supporting access to Energy Company Obligation and home updgrade grants.

This project is building on the successful delivery of a previous Energy Redress funded project. The project will continue to help householders lower bills, reduce energy use, provide small energy saving items, challenge incorrect billing and access grants and schemes to help with arrears and property improvements.  They will also refer people to specialist colleagues within their organisation to tackle additional benefits, housing and debt issues, helping in an holistic way to address the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Energy Advisors will support their Perthshire Energy Support Network to reach the elderly, families, single parents and those living rurally. They will also inform and educate local partners, ensuring they are aware of the help the project can provide and how people can access their support. 

Sustainable Seacombe will support vulnerable residents in an area of highest fuel poverty, and low average income, to better afford their fuel bills and maintain adequate warmth in their home.

It is a twenty month highly focussed programme of activity that will overcome barriers faced by vulnerable residents and directly link them to the full range of support available.

A key element is to visit every home in Seacombe to inform residents of the opportunities available to them to access financial support for improvement measures, register for support such as Warm Home Discount, better understand how to switch supplier and the benefits of smart meters, as well as access support when facing fuel debt or other broader issues.

Working with our partner, Wirral Council, we will use a wide range of communication and engagement methods including home visits, weekly community events, social media, print and radio media, joining forces with other community groups’ activities, and word of mouth by residents.

We are taking an innovative approach of creating 52 “micro-areas” of 150 homes each receiving co-ordinated support. Residents will be encouraged to share their knowledge and experience with neighbours, creating the potential legacy of localised community support linked with other programmes such as Seacombe Lives. This will be supported by offering accredited training to residents.

Sustainable Seacombe is projected to support over 5,000 vulnerable residents and lead to reductions in fuel bills of over £50,000 per year. It will also see the installation of over 1,000 energy efficiency measures.