British Gas – helping to address fuel

poverty

National HECA Conference 20th May 2003

Finding a solution to fuel poverty

• Issues surrounding fuel poverty are complex, particularly identification and targeting

• Energy efficiency measures can make a major contribution towards lifting people out of fuel poverty…

…but other significant issues need to be tackled if we are to genuinely remove people from fuel poverty

• National and local integration of funds and schemes is required to provide holistic solutions for fuel poor households

• For some households we do not have a commercially viable solution to remove them from fuel poverty – e.g. hard to treat homes

Our approach to fuel poverty

• Provide innovative and differentiated holistic solutions to fuel and household poverty– including assistance with energy efficiency, benefits assessment and fuel bills.

• Development of long term partnerships with organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors

• Integrate our funding with other programmes to ensure that households receive all the help they are entitled to.

• Focusing on those who need help most, by targeting households in key areas of deprivation

• Establish programmes that bring sustainable solutions to entire communities

British Gas fuel poverty programmes

Warm-a-Life• Over 100k customers will have benefited by the end 2003• Benefits assessment has improved income by average of £800 per

annum

Social Housing • Over the last 3 years British Gas has funded over 200 schemes,

total value around £8m and benefiting over 50k households

Warm Zones• Funding 30k fuel poor households in Stockton and Redcar and

Cleveland

British Gas/Help the Aged Partnership• Tackling the issues of excess winter deaths and isolation - 1.3m

beneficiaries of partnership initiatives

REECH partnership project with NEA• Helping members of ethnic minorities overcome the barriers that

can prevent them accessing energy efficiency advice and grants • Pilots underway in 3 areas, London, Rochdale/Oldham and Bradford

Introducing our ‘here to HELP’

programme

The ‘here to HELP’ programme

• British Gas ‘here to HELP’ programme is designed to improve the housing conditions and quality of life of residents in the most deprived areas of Britain, by tackling the root causes of household poverty

• ‘here to HELP’: – is a £150 million programme which aims to reach up

to 500,000 homes by 2005– combines British Gas, social housing and central

Government funding to deliver an integrated and sustainable solution to household poverty

– delivers a range of value added services from British Gas and voluntary sector partners

here to HELP – Partnership approach

British Gas

FUNDING

Local AuthoritiesHousing Assoc

FUNDING

EAGA

FUNDING &DELIVERY

OLDER PEOPLEHelp The Aged

DISABLED PEOPLE

ScopeRNIB

CHILDREN / FAMILIES

Save the ChildrenGingerbread

Family Welfare Asoc

PEOPLE IN DEBT

National Debtline

SPECIALIST PRODUCTS and SERVICES

Benefits of ‘here to HELP’

Social Housing Provider benefits from:• British Gas funding on energy efficiency measures• Full managing agent, surveying and installer service• Provision of HECA and SAP information

Residents benefit from:• Energy Efficiency products and advice

– Cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, heating• Increased income

– Benefits assessment, bill discounts and cold weather payments for British Gas customers

• Essential appliances– Fridges / fridge-freezers, appliance adaptors

• Safety & security– Eg. Spy holes, door locks, monitoring systems

• Free tailored advice and services– for older and disabled people, partially sighted, families, lone parents

and people with debt problems

‘here to HELP’ – early results

• 107 ‘here to HELP’ zones

established

• 16,000 home assessments

completed

• Over 1,700 charity partner

referrals (90% of these receiving

help for the 1st time)

• Over 1,800 benefits health

checks completed

‑ £1.1m unclaimed benefits

identified

‑ 34% eligible for additional

benefits

‑ average increase of over £1,500

per year per household

Case study – Robert

Robert• involved in a road accident four years ago• is severely disabled. • had to give up his career as an engineer• lives on benefits in his bungalow supplied

by Stoke City Council• uses a wheelchair to get around• father, Horace visits three times a day to tend

to his needs.

a fridge-freezer through Family Welfare Association

cavity wall insulation and loft insulation

energy efficient light bulbs and advice on how to be more energy efficient

discount on his energy bill currently being assessed by Scope

Case study – Peggy

Peggy• Peggy lives alone in rented accommodation• has had AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration)

for 4 years• has difficulty reading• has problems recognising peoples’ faces from across

the street

free energy efficient draughtproofing, thermostatic radiator valves and light bulbs

a Big Button Telephone and other free aids from RNIB

identified unclaimed benefit of £4,225 per year

extra door locks from Help the Aged

discount on her energy bill.

Case Study - Helena Housing

• Helena Housing ‘HELP zone’ covers an area of high crime and deprivation

• ‘here to HELP’ central to Helena Housing’s improvement programme

• Funding also obtained from:– Warm Front– Single Regeneration Budget, – Neighbourhood Renewal Fund– St Helens Dawn Patrol (PCT)– Safer Merseyside Partnership and benefits agencies

…..effect of doubling their budget, allowing Helena Housing to provide benefits to double the amount of houses.

Case Study - Helena Housing

• Helena successfully integrated other programmes, complementing ‘here to HELP’– Neighbourhood Watch

• Older people provided with daily calendars, which were checked by schoolchildren every morning

– Fire prevention• Obtained free alarms from Fire Brigade

– Security measures• Police called on residents to provide security checks &

notify the ‘here to HELP’ surveyors would be calling

• Other results:– 271 properties identified for free energy efficiency

measures– From the 354 surveys completed, there were 174 referrals

to ‘here to HELP’ charity partners– Benefit health check - households on average benefited by

£874.85 per annum

Case Study – Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership – Home Health & ‘here to HELP’

• Cornwall is an Objective 1 area under EU regulations because it has the lowest GDP per head in the UK

• ‘here to HELP’ has been integrated into Home Health - an innovative project which aims to: – create decent homes– improve health and home safety– tackle fuel poverty– reduce greenhouse gas emissions– stimulate local economic development and regeneration

in Cornwall

• About 25 partners involved in Home Health including all Local Authorities in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Housing Associations, Primary Care Trusts, police, fire service, charitiesand ‘here to HELP’

• First two areas – Pendeen and Pengegon covering 1434 homes

Case Study – Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership – Home Health & ‘here to HELP’

The results:

• 87% of homes surveyed (913) required at least one measure (energy/ security/ heating)  

• 23% of homes surveyed received free security measures

• 23% referred to ‘here to HELP’ charity partners• 54% of households requested a benefits health check

– Of which 31% eligible for additional benefits• If all the benefits identified are claimed, this would total

£71,000 p.a.• Energy efficiency measures & advice alone will save

householders £108,663 p.a. in both areas. • The estimated average saving per home is £192 p.a.