Gas emergency and pipeline service, Wales & West Utilities, is extending its partnership with Warm Wales through an additional £2.3 million funding project which will help more people across Wales and reduce the fuel poverty gap.
The project will see the extension of the Healthy Homes Healthy People programme to cover the whole of Wales and will see the Warm Wales engagement team expand its reach into the heart of communities.
Its team will continue to support people by providing energy saving advice, access to potential grants for home insulation and heating, while making sure people can access unclaimed benefits and the best energy tariffs and fuel debt assistance. In addition, the team will introduce awareness raising and social prescribing to improve individuals’ knowledge and instigate household behaviour changes related to health and well-being, whilst community engagement will provide help and signposting through partnerships with local authorities and housing providers.
Joanna Seymour, Director of Partnerships and Development at Warm Wales, explains:
“Following changes to the energy price cap, the Welsh Government estimates that up to 45% of households could be in fuel poverty, and up to 8% of those could be in severe fuel poverty.
“Our Healthy Homes Healthy People programme was successful, and this now extends our reach across the entire country. We want to reach as many people in communities as possible and this expansion looks at the ways in which we do that.”
The funding will allow Warm Wales to have a central hub, where referrals come through, whilst delivery teams will go into communities to provide support in people’s homes and over the phone. An engagement team will also be established so that specialist advisors can go out to people and help spread awareness of the help on offer so that resilient communities can be built.
Joanna continued:
“We want the partnership to help people to understand their energy bills and reduce how much they pay on their energy, whilst facilitating those conversations with energy providers and signing people up to the Priority Services Register. It will also look at the wider income maximisation and health and wellbeing support we can provide through our partnerships with other community providers.”
Sophie Shorney, VCMA Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said:
“We are delighted to provide this vital funding through the VCMA. The fund allows us to work in partnership with organisations to reach more people and provide them with the help they need to ensure they receive the right support and help with their bills, to help keep them safe and warm in their own homes.
“The Healthy Homes Healthy People has already delivered huge benefits, with over 4,500 households being supported, resulting in financial gains for these customers of over £2.3m. This extension will now allow Warm Wales to get into the heart of communities to provide more people with the help and support they need.”
Between April 2021 to March 2026, Wales & West Utilities has £25m to spend on projects which support consumers in vulnerable situations and raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and keep people safe from the ‘silent killer’.
Funding is made from the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA), and 75% of the money will be spent on projects relevant to Wales and south west England only, while 25% will be spent on collaborative projects with the other gas networks across the whole of the UK.
If you have a project that you think Wales & West Utilities could support, either individually or collaboratively with other gas networks, then contact Wales & West Utilities at [email protected].
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night.
