Northern Gas Networks (NGN), in partnership with National Energy Action (NEA) and the UK's other gas distribution networks, Cadent, SGN and Wales & West Utilities, launched a nation-wide fuel poverty and health programme called Warm Homes, Healthy Futures. The programme was launched at an event at the House of Lords on 19 March 20241.
The launch event was attended by Minister Solloway, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Baroness McIntosh, President of National Energy Action: Action for Warmer Homes; and Adam Scorer, CEO of National Energy Action1.
NGN describes the programme as a multi-year project that will connect health professionals and local public health bodies with energy advice and other specialist services including income maximisation, servicing and home improvements, to support people to live in warm and safe homes and improve their health1. It will be coordinated nationally and delivered locally in communities where there is high need and limited existing support, with the stated aim of leaving a lasting legacy1.
Mark Horsley, CEO of Northern Gas Networks, said:
"We're delighted to be working with National Energy Action and the other UK gas distribution networks to lead 'Warm Homes, Healthy Futures', our most ambitious collaborative project to date, which will help to understand and address the root causes of fuel poverty and target those who need support most, improving the quality of life for thousands of people living not just here in the North, but throughout the UK."
The announcement gives no figures for the number of households expected to be reached, the funding attached to the programme, or the eligibility rules for support. Those details have not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
Fuel poverty support in the UK is delivered through a mix of devolved grant schemes and local services, and the route a household takes depends on where it lives. The grants-schemes hub sets out the main national and devolved schemes, including Green Homes Wales, Home Energy Grants in Northern Ireland and Home Energy Grants in Wales. In Scotland, households face a choice between the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan and Warmer Homes Scotland, while in Wales the Nest Wales scheme and the Warm Homes: Local Grant operate alongside each other.
Warm Homes, Healthy Futures is not itself a grant scheme. As described, it works through health professionals and local public health bodies, connecting them to energy advice, income maximisation, servicing and home improvements1. For a household, that means the point of contact is more likely to be a health service than a grant application, and the support offered may combine advice and practical work on the home rather than a single payment. The programme is aimed at areas of high need and limited existing support, so its reach will depend on which communities are selected1.
What happens next
Details of the projects to be rolled out across Northern Gas Networks' geography will be published in the coming weeks, according to the announcement1. No timetable has been given for projects in the areas covered by Cadent, SGN or Wales & West Utilities1.