Your Type of Home news, page 9
- January 2023
Leicester Energy Action project begins supporting vulnerable households
National Energy Action's Leicester Energy Action project has been supporting vulnerable people across the city since January 2023, funded by NHS Integrated Care and run with Leicester City Council's public health team.
- December 2022
UK government confirms voucher delivery for £600 Northern Ireland energy bill support
The UK government has confirmed that around 500,000 Northern Ireland households without direct debits will receive £600 energy bill support as vouchers issued from mid-January 2023.
Government confirms £600 single payment for Northern Ireland households and £200 Alternative Fuel Payment for Great Britain
The government has confirmed a single £600 payment for all Northern Ireland households and a £200 Alternative Fuel Payment for Great Britain homes using fuels such as heating oil, with payments starting in January 2023.
NEA projects 8.4 million UK households in fuel poverty from April 2023
National Energy Action projects 8.4 million UK households will be in fuel poverty from April 2023, up from 4.5 million, as the Energy Bills Support Scheme ends and the price guarantee rises.
Partnership project launches to support terminally ill people in fuel poverty
A partnership led by gas distributor SGN with Cadent, Northern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities is funding energy advice and benefits support for terminally ill people in fuel poverty across Britain.
Research reveals nine million adults living in cold damp homes at Christmas
A Warm This Winter survey of 2,186 adults found 18 per cent of the population, or 9.02 million adults, were living in cold damp homes in December 2022.
Research reveals PPM customers living in cold damp homes and self-disconnecting
Research for the Warm This Winter campaign finds 64% of prepayment meter customers are vulnerable, 13% have self-disconnected and 31% live in cold damp homes.
Solar Energy UK publishes The Value of New Build Solar report calling for mandatory solar on new homes
Solar Energy UK has published The Value of New Build Solar, modelling bill and carbon savings across four UK case studies and calling for mandatory solar on new homes in England, Scotland and Wales.
- November 2022
Trickle vent rules take effect in Wales
Changes to Approved Document F requiring trickle vents in the majority of replacement windows and doors came into effect in Wales on 23 November 2022, five months after the same rules began in England.
CIPHE responds to Autumn Statement 2022 warning on fuel poverty
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has called the 2022 Autumn Statement a first step, warning that more immediate action is needed to reduce the threat of fuel poverty for struggling households.
Household Support Fund extended to 31 March 2024
The Autumn Statement of 17 November 2022 added £1 billion to the Household Support Fund, extending it in England by twelve months to 31 March 2024.
Second instalment of Cost of Living Payment paid in November 2022
The second instalment of the GBP 650 Cost of Living Payment, worth GBP 324, was paid automatically to most eligible low-income households in November 2022.
West Midlands awarded more than £1m for Warmer Homes West Midlands programme
The West Midlands Combined Authority has awarded more than £1 million to Act on Energy to expand free energy advice for vulnerable households across the region this winter.
Autumn Statement 2022 allocates £1 billion to Household Support Fund
The Government has said local councils will receive £1 billion for the Household Support Fund, announced in the Autumn Statement 2022, as disability charity Scope reports low awareness of the scheme.
Scottish Government publishes cost of living crisis analytical report
The Scottish Government's November 2022 cross-government analysis estimated around 860,000 households in Scotland, 35 per cent, would be in fuel poverty under a £2,500 price cap scenario.
- October 2022
Guidance updated with delivery, funding and definitions clarifications
The government has updated its guidance for the closed Sustainable Warmth Competition, clarifying delivery, timescales, grant funding, eligible homes and costs, and adding a definitions section.
Autumn Statement 2022 announces EPG increase
The Autumn Statement 2022 raised the Energy Price Guarantee to £3,000 for typical annual household consumption from April 2023 and extended it to the end of March 2024.
CO alarm requirement for landlords in England took effect
From 1 October 2022 landlords in England must provide a carbon monoxide alarm in any living accommodation room containing a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.
Fuel poverty estimates to rise with 1 October price cap change
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates 21 million people in around 9 million homes will be in fuel poverty from the 1 October price cap rise, rising to 28 million people in January 2023.
GBP2,500 price freeze reported to take effect with fuel poverty still affecting millions
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition estimates 16.4 million people in 6.9 million UK households will remain in fuel poverty in winter 2022/23 even under a reported GBP2,500 price freeze.
- September 2022
Up to £1.5 billion Help to Heat funding launched for SHDF wave 2 and Home Upgrade Grant
The government has opened up to £1.5 billion in Help to Heat funding for social housing providers and local authorities in England to upgrade around 130,000 low-income and social homes.
Government confirms energy bill support for Northern Ireland and off-grid homes
The government has confirmed Energy Price Guarantee support, the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme discount and a £100 alternative fuels payment for Northern Ireland and off-grid households.
Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandEnergy Bills and the Price Cap
CIPHE warns households about burn and scald risks from heating hacks
The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering has warned that cost of living driven changes to heating systems may cause burns and scalds, especially in households with young, elderly or disabled occupants.
Mini-Budget pledges over GBP1bn for home insulation
The Chancellor's mini-Budget pledged more than GBP1bn of extra funding for home insulation over three years, which the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says falls far short of the GBP5bn needed.
Warmer Homes Scotland contract due to expire
The Scottish Government's national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland, was due to end in September 2022, with ministers proposing a new seven year successor scheme to replace it.
- August 2022
Warm This Winter campaign launches in response to energy bills crisis
The Warm This Winter campaign launched on 26 August 2022, demanding emergency financial support, funded home insulation and a faster shift from gas to renewables as energy bills rose.
Warmer Homes Scotland criteria revised
Scottish ministers revised the eligibility criteria for Warmer Homes Scotland in August 2022, widening access to the national fuel poverty scheme, particularly for households aged 60 to 75.
- July 2022
NEA projects 8.2 million UK households could be in fuel poverty from October
National Energy Action has projected that 8.2 million UK households, one in three, could be in fuel poverty from October if the price cap takes average annual bills to £3,250.
NEA publishes Impact Report for April 2021 to March 2022
National Energy Action has published an impact report for April 2021 to March 2022, saying more than 6.5 million UK households were in fuel poverty after the 1 April price cap rise.
Consortium secures £7.5M from Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
A West Midlands consortium has secured £7.5M from the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to retrofit 600 social homes with low carbon heating and solar panels.