Tackling fuel poverty together

Bury Council and its partners have been working to help local residents keep warm in their homes and save money on their energy bills.

To co-incide with Fuel Poverty Awareness Day and the national Power to Switch Campaign, an event was held to mark the measures taken to reduce fuel poverty, secure improvements to council housing and improve energy efficiency in properties.

This included the creation of a fuel poverty fund which has enabled the installation of 60 central heating boilers for old and vulnerable residents who had no heating or hot water during the coldest months.

One resident, aged 87, had health conditions that were made worse by living in cold conditions and was spending 21% of her household income on her heating bills. Her faulty boiler kept breaking and she couldn’t afford to replace it. In another example, a faulty boiler in a child’s bedroom was found which had a dangerous carbon monoxide leak. There were six children living in the house with no heating or hot water. Through the fuel poverty fund, both households were able to be helped.

As well as physical works, the council has also provided advice on energy efficiency to more than 400 Bury residents this financial year and made 250 referrals for energy measures in private property via national grants and schemes.

Despite these achievements locally, there is a still a significant challenge to be met, with an estimated 8,047 households (10.1% of all houses in Bury) living in fuel poverty.

Councillor Rishi Shori, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for finance and housing, said: “Working with other agencies, the council is doing a lot to tackle this important issue. Using European funding, we will be investigating the possibility of setting up a green energy company which looks at the generation of power using renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar power. The aim is to break the monopoly of the big six energy providers and provide local people with as cheap energy bills as possible. The proposed completion date for the research and investigations is 2020.

“In the meantime, people are being helped to live in warmer homes by having the right advice, being supported to improve their homes and cut their energy bills. By helping residents keep warm affordably, this reduces the risk of falls and the impact of cold related illnesses with a view to lessening the demand on local health services.

“If your home is not energy efficient, you are struggling to keep your home warm or you know someone who is, then contact the council’s energy officer Michelle Stott. Also, it is now easier than ever to take control of your bills once and for all. I would urge you to visit BeAnEnergyShopper.com – you could save up to £200 a year on your bills!”

For more information, call Michelle Stott on 0161 253 6367 or email m.d.stott@bury.gov.uk

ENDS

Press release issued: 14 March 2016.