Member Article

Housing provider helping tenants facing fuel poverty

In a bid to help reduce the stress and anxiety of fuel debt, local housing provider North Star Housing Group has been working in partnership with energy advice specialists Tadea to carry out home energy checks for tenants across the North East and North Yorkshire.

The aim of the scheme is to help residents maintain warm, energy efficient homes and manage their fuel bills through the delivery of home energy visits. Tadea has also been assisting tenants as part of the Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) installation programme in Teesdale.

Andrea Peacock, Welfare Benefits Officer for North Star Housing Group, which includes Endeavour and Teesdale Housing Associations, said: “If 10% or more of a tenant’s household income is spent on fuel bills, they are classed as living in fuel poverty. Our involvement with the national Real Life Reform report has highlighted that many of local families face a ‘heat or eat’ dilemma through the winter months, as they struggle to cope with financial pressures and welfare reform.”

“The aim of the Tadea and North Star partnership is to promote energy efficiency, reduce fuel bills and help our customers to increase their financial resilience – all of which is vital to help alleviate the negative health and wellbeing impacts and reduce the risk of fuel poverty for our customers.”

Sarah Lee is the Health Projects Manager at Tadea. She said: “The home energy visits have been really well received and are proving to be extremely valuable to tenants. Particularly useful support has been around helping residents to access energy grants such as the Warm Homes Discount, assisting with fuel debt and switching tariffs to save money.

“To date, Tadea have visited over 190 homes and saved a total of £23,745. That’s an average of £103 per home. But some have saved around £700 in one year!”

Sarah shared one family’s story: “For one lady, during the home visit, our energy advisor identified that there was a cheaper tariff available where her household could save £75.90 per year and then obtain the Warm Homes Discount, which is worth £140.00. We also identified that she was in over £500 of debt on the electricity meter. Together, the tenant and the energy advisor completed an application to get assistance for the debt, switch the tariff and get the Warm Homes Discount. The lady was extremely happy to learn that, once her application is complete, she will have to pay around £744.90 less next year.”

As well as working with Tadea, the help and support offered by North Star has already been wide ranging – from providing advice to tenants on the bedroom tax and how to claim their full benefits entitlement; to setting up a hardship fund for households in financial crisis; signposting tenants to affordable credit and alternatives to pay day lenders; referring tenants to food banks; and carrying out eco-friendly modifications to existing housing stock, to improve household energy efficiency. In addition, welfare benefits officer Andrea Peacock has helped Endeavour and Teesdale Housing Association tenants to increase their household incomes by a total of over £770,000 since 2011.

For more information about the work that Tadea do, email health@tadea.com or call 0800 124 4320

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by North Star Housing Group .