The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announced on 3 November 2022 that more than £1 million of funding has been awarded to Act on Energy, which works with the WMCA to provide advice to people struggling to heat their homes1. The money goes to the Warmer Homes West Midlands programme, which the WMCA said builds on two years of a helpline that has already supported more than 10,000 vulnerable households across the region1.
Funds will pay for free energy advice over the phone and face to face support at events, drop-in clinics and house visits for the most vulnerable1. The WMCA said the additional £1 million will mainly be put towards training frontline staff and expanding how many calls the service can take1. Community outreach staff can also offer help with budgeting, access to grant funding and fuel supply, and the installation of free energy saving measures including draught proofing, heat reflective radiator foils and energy efficient lightbulbs1.
The grant was awarded by the Energy Saving Trust through Ofgem's Energy Redress Scheme, which the WMCA described as a scheme paid for by energy companies that may have breached Ofgem administered rules1. The WMCA said the region already has some of the highest rates of fuel poverty in the country1.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said:
"The additional £1m in funding secured for the Warmer Homes West Midlands programme will mainly be put towards training frontline staff and expanding how many calls they can take."
Rachel Jones, chief executive of Act on Energy, said the funding had come "not a moment too soon" and that the programme would enable vulnerable households to live in warmer and more affordable homes1. Cllr Ian Courts, WMCA portfolio lead for energy and environment, said residents could learn more about heating their homes more efficiently and decreasing their carbon footprint, contributing to the goal of becoming a net zero region by 20411.
The WMCA gave the freephone number for the service as 0808 196 8298 and pointed to a dedicated Warmer Homes West Midlands website1. No closing date for the funding, no breakdown of spending by council area and no eligibility criteria for individual households were reported1.
Why it matters for households
The funding is aimed at advice and small physical measures rather than at replacing heating systems or paying bills directly. For a household in the region, the practical offer described is guidance on managing bills and heating a home efficiently, help with budgeting and access to grant funding, and the fitting of low-cost items such as draught proofing, radiator foils and efficient lightbulbs1. Those measures reduce how much heat a home loses and how much energy it uses, which is the part of energy independence a household can influence without changing supplier or tariff.
The scheme sits alongside the wider landscape of home energy grants and help for low-income households in England. The WMCA's own framing is that the region has some of the highest rates of fuel poverty in the country, and that the helpline has already reached more than 10,000 vulnerable households1. The new money is directed at the advice service's capacity, so the change for households is likely to be in how quickly and how widely that advice can be delivered rather than in a new payment or a new grant for individual homes.
What happens next
The WMCA said the funding will expand call capacity and frontline staff training, and that home visits and direct community outreach are also being considered1. No timetable for that expansion was reported1.