Worksop company launches scheme to help tackle fuel poverty crisis facing Bassetlaw families due to soaring energy bills

The scheme by The Effective Energy Group, based on the Welbeck Estate, provides energy saving advice, free heating, insulation and white goods and an income maximisation service.

Help4Homes covers all property types and tenures, and is not focused solely on energy reduction measures, but extends to cover a variety of different areas, inluding income maximisation, which can play a significant role in the difference between households remaining in fuel poverty and getting out of it.

The Worksop Guardian is supporting JPI Media's new Heat & Eat – Fighting the Cost of Living Crisis community campaign.

Many families across Bassetlaw are being faced with difficult choices over whether to ‘eat or heat’ as fuel bills increase.

With the costs of gas and electricity costs expected to rise by 50 per cent, from an average £1,200 per year to £1,800, many face increasing hardship.

The campaign highlights current heating or eating dilemmas, why such cash-strapped, cost of living choices arose and what solutions can now best address issues involved.

Director of external affairs at Effective Energy Group, Neil Marshall said: “Soaring energy prices have been making headlines for months on end; and rising in tandem with these ever-spiralling prices are the number of households that can be defined as being in fuel poverty – a figure that now tops six million.”

Since going live at the end of 2021 with an initial £500,000 of funding, the response to Help4Homes has been so overwhelmingly positive that Effective Energy is now seeking new partners to invest in the scheme.

Neil added: “Energy companies, local authorities and housing associations have funds to spend on helping low income and vulnerable households and Help4Homes has the scope to help more homes in more different ways than any other existing scheme.

“And because of our in-house expertise and that of our partners, IncomeMAX and CSupplies, those investing in it can do so in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner.”

IncomeMAX oversees the income maximisation element of Help4Homes, while CSupplies provides the white goods.

Neil said: “Although anyone can invest in Help4Homes, it is the ideal vehicle for energy companies and local authorities.

“Energy companies can invest through the Energy Company Obligation and Warm Homes Discount schemes, while local authorities can use various sources of funding, including the Local Authority Delivery Scheme, Home Upgrade Grant Scheme and local budgets. And however they invest, they’ll do so knowing their money will make a huge difference to households that need it the most.”

For more visit www.effective-energy.co.uk, e-mail [email protected] or call 01909 511260.