Fuel Poverty
Fuel Poverty in Cornwall
Living in a home that is adequately heated is important for comfort but vital for staying healthy, particularly for older people, children and those living with long term illnesses and disability. Many simply can’t afford to heat their homes properly and experience problems with their health and live with condensation mould on walls and around windows as a consequence of their home not being warm enough.
Cornwall has the highest rate of fuel poverty in the South West, with almost one in five households spending more than 10 per cent of their income on heating their homes. Wage levels below the national average and the inability of just under half of all the homes in Cornwall to access the mains gas network means that over 39,000 households in the county are living in fuel poverty.
A warm home is a healthy home
Many people on limited incomes face tough decisions on whether to heat or eat. Some people self-disconnect by turning their heating off if they’re on a pre-payment meter, or ration what they use which means that rooms don’t get up to the recommended temperature of 21°C in their living area and 18°C elsewhere.
Fitting cavity wall and loft insulation is an easy way to keep the heat in and the cold out, as well as bringing energy bills down. Over the past decade Community Energy Plus has helped to make over 21,000 homes in Cornwall warmer through the Home Health insulation schemes, which are currently funded by Cornwall Council and national energy companies.
Warm Me Up! Campaign
Warm Me Up! is Community Energy Plus’s Cornwall wide affordable warmth campaign. It is working closely with key partner organisations, including Cornwall Council and the Primary Care Trust, to deliver fuel poverty awareness training to front line workers and those working with groups that are likely to live in fuel poverty. The charity recognises that care professionals and community volunteers are in a unique position to identify households that are, or may be at risk of, being in fuel poverty. A simple referral to the Energy Saving Trust advice centre can help to make homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to run.
The Active Network Teams (ANTs) project within the Warm Me Up! programme started in April 2009 and has already provided training for more than 100 frontline workers in Cornwall to promote the importance of keeping homes warm and highlight the help available though Community Energy Plus to access free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation and advice on ways to save energy. Events were also held towards the end of 2009 at six children’s centres in West Cornwall to deliver information to parents that a warm home is a healthy home.
These projects are priority actions in Cornwall’s 2009-2011 ‘Local Area Agreement’ and are being funded by Cornwall Council and Cornwall Strategic Partnership.
Get involved in making fuel poverty history
In 2010 Community Energy Plus will be offering free training to more than 120 front line workers and community groups on fuel poverty awareness and support services available to householders.
CEP will also be working with partners and funders in 2010 to try to find more ways of helping people living in ‘hard to treat homes’ which aren’t suitable for cavity wall or loft insulation, plus those without mains gas.
Frontline workers, care providers and community volunteer groups interested in joining the Active Network Team initiative and access free training should contact Alec Rice at Community Energy Plus on 01209 614975 or email alec@cep.org.uk
Fuel Poverty training resources
The following resources form part of our Fuel Poverty training tool kit for front line workers and community volunteers:
Film 1: Recognising the signs of fuel poverty (link to YouTube)
Film 2: Insulation link to (link to YouTube)
Film 3: Energy efficiency (link to YouTube)
Warm Me Up! Information leaflet
Warm Me Up! Energy Advice leaflet
