Fuel Poverty Awareness Day: ‘Give your home a HUG’ campaign launches with series of events
To mark Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (Thursday 30 November 2023) Shropshire Council’s affordable warmth and energy efficiency team (AWEE) are launching their Christmas ‘‘Give your Home a HUG’’ campaign with a series of events.
The AWEE Team will be supporting the day at the council’s Shropshire Local hub in The Darwin, Shrewsbury from 10am to 4pm.
The team will also be joined by the council’s Keep Shropshire Warm service at Shropshire Local mobile in Oswestry Library from 10am to 2pm.
Both events will offer residents the chance to meet the team face-to-face and to find out more about current schemes. Qualifying residents will be able to apply for a grant on the day.
Shropshire Council has secured millions of pounds worth of grant funding through the Government’s latest Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) scheme, which is being delivered through its Sustainable Warmth Scheme. The scheme helps vulnerable and at-risk residents to improve insulation and install more efficient heating systems. Solid wall insulation, window upgrades, air source heat pump systems and more are on offer to households.
Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and assets, said;-
“Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is a timely reminder that millions of households across the UK struggle to stay warm and well at home in winter.
“With cost of living challenges ongoing, more households than ever are entering the colder months with a sense of stress and anxiety about how afford to keep warm. Government figures suggest more than 25,000 households in Shropshire struggle to achieve affordable warmth.
“Our ‘Give your home a HUG’ campaign supports our ambition to tackle fuel poverty across the county, and is a great opportunity for residents to find out more about how they can help keep their homes warm, whilst reducing their fuel costs.
“I encourage anyone who is struggling with heating their home and with energy bills to come along to one of the events and have a chat with our officers to find out what options there are to help you.”
If you can’t attend, then please do look at what advice and support is available and see if you’re eligible to apply for our schemes at www.shropshire.gov.uk/AWEE.
Rob Clayton, Shropshire Council’s affordable warmth and energy efficiency officer, added;-
“We want as many residents as possible to come along and meet the team, enter one of our exciting competitions, grab a few freebies and see what support is available.
“You might be surprised what help there is. We’re also happy to discuss how family and friends can get involved.”
Shropshire Council’s AWEE team recently won ‘Local Authority of the Year’ at the National Energy Efficiency Awards, in recognition of the improvements that have been delivered to local residents over the past two years. The Sustainable Warmth Shropshire scheme offers even more residents the chance to upgrade the efficiency, improve the comfort and reduce the running costs of their home.
Residents who can’t attend the events can also visit www.shropshire.gov.uk/sws for more information or you can contact the Keep Shropshire Warm team on 0800 112 3743.
Further information
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day is a national campaign event organised by the UK’s foremost fuel poverty charity, National Energy Action (NEA). NEA work to overcome the effects and causes of fuel poverty in four ways. We provide advice and support; we campaign and advocate for the needs of fuel-poor households; we carry out research to raise awareness and find solutions; and we provide accredited training. For more information visit: https://www.nea.org.uk/who-we-are/nea-campaigns/fpad/#:~:text=Thursday%2030%20November%202023%20is,be%20at%20an%20integral%20time.
New affordable warmth strategy to tackle fuel poverty
Shropshire Council’s Cabinet recently approved Shropshire’s Sustainable Affordable Warmth Strategy 2023–2030.
The strategy, developed by the council’s affordable warmth and energy efficiency team, summarises the challenges faced in Shropshire, and sets out the council’s aims to tackle fuel poverty through a range of sustainable measures to provide affordable warmth, whilst increasing the energy performance of homes and reducing carbon emissions.
