Affordable Warmth Strategy LaunchAffordable Warmth Strategy Launch

1010thth June 2005 June 2005

Joanne CarrDirector of Business Development

National Energy Action (NEA)

The Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Salford Cllr James Hunt

Welcome

Plan For The Day

Cllr Peter ConnorLead Member for Housing

Salford City Council

Bob OsborneHead of HousingSalford City Council

What is Affordable Warmth?

Keeping warm and well IN Salford

1. What is Affordable Warmth?

2. What is Fuel Poverty?

3. How big a problem is Fuel Poverty in Salford?

4. Delivering Affordable Warmth

What is ….. Affordable Warmth?Affordable Warmth - is the ability to heat a home to an adequate level for household comfort and health without incurring financial hardship.

An adequate standard of warmth is defined as:

• 20oC in the living room;

• 18oC in other occupied rooms, such as bedrooms.

What is…. Fuel Poverty?Fuel Poverty - is where a household needs to spend 10% or more of income to meet fuel costs.

Fuel poverty is caused by a combination of:

• poor housing conditions;

• low incomes.

Vulnerable households cannot afford sufficient warmth for health and comfort.

Keeping warm and well IN Salford• One of the consequences of fuel poverty is

the effects that cold conditions have on health. Cold homes worsen existing illness such as asthma.

 

• In the UK, every winter, there are many premature deaths, caused by vulnerable households living in cold homes they cannot afford to heat.

Keeping warm and well IN Salford

Vulnerable households at risk of Fuel Poverty include: 

1.  older people

2.  people with disabilities

3.  people with chronic illness

4.  lone parents with young children

5.  long term unemployed or people who live on a low income

How big is the problem?

Nationally the Government estimated that there are 2 million households in England living in Fuel Poverty.

In Salford a recent survey* estimated that:– 7,992 households live in fuel poverty– or put another way - 17,000 residents– In some streets fuel poverty reaches an unacceptable 25% of

all households.

*BRE’s Housing Projections Survey Jan 2005

Wards with the highest number of households living in Fuel Poverty

Fuel Poverty in Salford

No. Ward %

1 Broughton 11.5%

2 Weaste & Seedley 10.1%

3 Barton 10%

4 Irwell Riverside 9.5%

5 Langworthy 9.5%

Delivering Affordable Warmth

By developing schemes that will:1.   Maximise vulnerable household Income through schemes that will include a Benefits Health Check up.

2.   Make homes more energy efficient by installing

• energy efficient central heating boilers• topping up existing loft insulation and cavity wall

insulation

3. By increasing awareness of the help that is available through the Warm Front and council’s own grant

schemes to make homes energy efficient.

How much heat are you losing?By making your home energy efficient it is possible to save up to £140 p.a. on fuel bills

Affordable Warmth as an LSP Issue

Sheila Murtagh

Salford Partnership Manager

Partners IN Salford

Affordable Warmth: an LSP issue• Affordable warmth is a quality of life issue: LSP vision

is to improve the quality of life of people in Salford.

• Affordable warmth is a complex issue: no one agency can solve in isolation- it requires partnership working

Affordable Warmth: an LSP issue

• LSP provides a framework for partnership working: brings together public, private, voluntary and community sectors.– seeks to improve co-ordination, reduce duplication, harness greater

variety of skills and knowledge, generate wider range of solutions, and improve understanding of community’s needs improve service delivery and accountability

– Delivering the Affordable Warmth strategy will require effective partnership and referral systems

• LSP encourages strategic approach: determining common aims + objectives, clarifying how partners can contribute and measuring performance:

this strategy is a good example of partnership working.

Affordable Warmth: an LSP issue

• Affordable Warmth is a cross-cutting issue, linked to: – Health: Salford has very poor health indicators compared to

the rest of the country. – Economic prosperity: strong economy and skilled workforce

needed to minimise poverty:17,000+ on incapacity benefit (almost 50% over 50): poverty implications.

– Quality of housing stock. – Environmental issue: poor energy efficiency has long-term

consequences

Affordable Warmth: an LSP issue

• Affordable Warmth is an inequalities issue affecting the most vulnerable groups including:– Older people, people with chronic illness, lone parents with

young children, people living on a low income

• Salford the 12th most deprived area in the country: LSP committed to national narrowing the gap agenda– between the most deprived areas and the rest of the country. – between areas and groups in Salford.

• Social Inclusion Theme (one of 7 LSP/Community Plan themes) allocated resources to support partnership working and strategy development

Affordable Warmth: LSP support

• Affordable Warmth Strategy and Action Plan– Development actively supported by the LSP – Commitment to implementation of action plan through LSP

structures – Will promote Inclusion in the Community Plan – Facilitate development of reporting mechanisms to monitor

progress, identify challenges, achievements and future opportunities

Affordable Warmth: partners’ support

• We all have a role to play to support the implementation of the Affordable Warmth Strategy

• We can all contribute to raising awareness of:– The importance of the issue– What partner agencies and individuals can do– What support is available

Key Note Address

Ian Stewart MP

New Warm Front - the future

Peter StoreyWarm Front Account Manager

The EAGA Partnership Ltd

Warm Front II

Great news from Warm Front 1

Across England over 1 million households assisted with energy efficiency measures between June 2000 and May 2005!

Since Benefit Entitlement checks were introduced in Autumn 2003 to Warm Front, over £8.2 million has been identified in unclaimed benefit with an average of £1139 per year per customer (in areas managed by Eaga)

Warm Front II

Why did Warm Front need to change?

Change from an energy efficiency programme aimed at vulnerable households, to a programme helping to eradicate fuel poverty

Better targeting required of those who suffer fuel poverty

To remove more clients out of fuel poverty

Warm Front II

What are the proposed changes? ( ref: FP Action Plan )

Heating for ALL eligible clients (incl. oil heating)

Target on the scheme manager to find those most in need

Target on the scheme manager to remove clients from the likelihood of remaining in fuel poverty

Benefit Entitlement Check for clients who are likely to be left in fuel poverty

Increase in grant maxima

Warm Front household account

Warm Front II

DEFRA’s fuel poverty budget

2005/6 £172m

2006/7 £201m

2007/8 £251m

Warm Front II

DEFRA’s Fuel Poverty Target

To eradicate fuel poverty as far as reasonably practical in vulnerable households by 2010

We know that:

Finding the most needy will become more of a challenge as we move towards 2010

Traditional marketing methods are unlikely to be effective in reaching the oldest & coldest

Warm Front II

Eaga’s approach to reach these people

Built up an extensive network over the past five years working with a diverse group of organisations helping us reach those most in need

Further extend our partnership approach

More than doubling our network teams

Local knowledge

Specialist skills

Draw upon group expertise

Warm Front II

Happy to discuss supporting & providing staff for meetings, panels etc.

Warm Front II

Key Issues

Tight timescales for introduction

Changes not as significant as introduction of WF 1

Finding those who are not just eligible but are in real need

particularly in, for example, rural areas

Continually improving the quality & customer care particularly in heating

Eaga commitment to Service Excellence

Delivery within timescales

Warm Front II

What can Eaga bring to Warm Front 2?

Experience over 15 years delivering programmes to low income & vulnerable households

A commitment to reduce timelines, particularly heating

Quality Assurance innovation, secondary checks

Interaction with Utilities to deliver WF to more households

Equity of delivery right across England (scheme manager for all areas from 1st June)

Warm Front II

Thank You

Peter Storey Warm Front Account Manager

Questions & Answers

www.partnersinsalford.org/keepingwarm

www.partnersinsalford.org/keepingwarm