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Looking after your home

Keeping your home warm

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    Introduction

    With rising energy costs, we understand how difficult it is to keep your home warm on a budget. We have some top tips on saving money on your energy bills. Plus information on various local or government-backed schemes that can help you.

    Top 5 tips to save money on your energy bills

    1. Close your curtains or blinds at night - this will help keep the heat in.
    2. Switch off electrical appliances when they are not in use and you could save around £55 per year. Find out about the 5 most energy consuming home appliances on the Energy Saving Trust website.
    3. Turn down the temperature of your heating - reducing your thermostat by just 1 degree can reduce your heating bill by 10 per cent.
    4. Make sure all your light bulbs are energy efficient. Learn more about energy efficient lighting on the Energy Saving Trust website.
    5. Check if your roof space is well insulated - the ideal thickness is 270mm (or 10 inches). Over a quarter of the heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home. Find out more about loft insulation.

    Help from energy suppliers

    Here’s what help you can get from your energy suppliers:

    Government help with fuel bills

    You may qualify for help from the government towards the cost of your energy bills:

    Help with heating repairs or home insulation

    If you are a homeowner and you need help with insulating or heating your home, you may be able to apply for help from our healthy homes team.

    Damp, condensation and mould

    Condensation can cause dampness and mould growth in your home. This looks unpleasant and can increase your risk of developing a respiratory illness.

    Other support and guidance

    For more help and advice on keeping your home warm and energy efficient, check out these websites:

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    Priority services register

    All energy suppliers and network operators offer a free support service to help people in vulnerable situations. This is called the priority services register.

    You will qualify for this service if you:

    • have reached your state pension age
    • are disabled or have a long-term medical condition
    • are recovering from an injury
    • have a hearing or sight condition
    • have a mental health condition
    • are pregnant or have young children
    • have extra communication needs, such as if you struggle to understand or speak English.

    You might still be able to register for other reasons if your situation isn’t listed. For example, if you need short-term support after a stay in hospital.

    Find out more about the Priority Services Register, including what help you can get on the Ofgem website.

    How to register

    You must register directly with your gas and electricity supplier. You can find out how to contact your energy supplier on the Ofgem website.

    Warm home discount scheme

    You may be able to get money off your winter electricity under the warm home discount scheme.

    With this scheme, the government directs energy suppliers to apply a one-off discount to the energy bills. You must qualify to receive this discount, which is for the period of October to March.

    Find out more about the warm home discount scheme on GOV.UK.

    YORSwitch

    If you have been with your current energy supplier for a few years, you may find that you can save money on your gas and electricity by switching your supplier. If you are not sure where to start, then our collective energy scheme - YORswitch - can help.

    The scheme uses the collective buying power of all the residents that have joined the scheme to encourage energy suppliers to outbid each other for your custom. This is carried out through a reverse auction.

    We’ll then tell you details of the energy tariff that offers the best deal and offer you a new contract. You are under no obligation to accept the offer.

    Find out more about YORswitch, including how to register.

    Cold weather payment

    You may be able to get help with your heating costs during extremely cold weather if you receive:

    • pension credit
    • income support
    • income based jobseeker’s allowance
    • income-related employment and support allowance
    • universal credit
    • support for mortgage interest.

    You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. This scheme runs between 1 November and 31 March.

    Find out more about cold weather payments on the GOV.UK website.

    Winter fuel payment

    If you are an older person, you may qualify to receive a payment of between £100 and £300 towards your heating costs. The exact amount you receive depends on your age and whether other people in your household also qualify.

    You can find out more about the winter fuel payment on the GOV.UK website.

    Who qualifies for heating help?

    To qualify for heating help you must:

    • have a long-term illness
    • own your home in East Riding of Yorkshire and have lived in it for 6 months or more
    • have a low income with little or no savings
    • be unable to fully fund the work yourself.

    If you have any questions about whether you qualify, you can contact us by either of the following methods:

    Who qualifies for home insulation help?

    Please contact the Healthy Homes teams for the latest insulation schemes available either by email or phone

    If you have any questions about whether you qualify, you can contact us by either of the following methods:

    What help is available

    Our healthy homes team can:

    • provide practical advice on how to heat and insulate your home
    • source funding to help with heating-related maintenance tasks
    • find a contractor to carry out the work you need doing to your home.

    Heating-related maintenance tasks include:

    • repairing or replacing a boiler
    • installing a new heating system or appliance
    • fitting cavity wall and loft insulation.

    How is the work funded?

    This scheme is accessed by referral only, this means you can not apply directly.

    If you would like help from the healthy homes team, please speak with your adult social care support worker. We can also receive a referral from your welfare agency or a charitable organisation.

    What happens next?

    When we we have received the referral form, we’ll contact you for some extra information about your situation. We’ll also ask you to complete some forms related to your income and expenditure.

    How to access help

    This scheme is accessed by referral only, this means you can not apply directly.

    If you would like help from the healthy homes team, please speak with your adult social care support worker. We can also receive a referral from your welfare agency or a charitable organisation.

    What happens next

    When we we have received the referral form, we’ll contact you for some extra information about your situation. We’ll also ask you to complete some forms related to your income and expenditure.

    How condensation is created

    Condensation starts as moisture in the air. It is usually produced while:

    • cooking food in the kitchen
    • washing in the bathroom
    • drying clothes indoors on radiators.

    When the moisture hits cold surfaces, such as walls, mirrors, wall tiles and windows, it condenses and forms water droplets. The moist air rises when it’s warm and often ends up on ceilings and in upstairs rooms.

    If condensation is not treated

    Left untreated, condensation can result in mould growth on walls, ceilings, furniture, furnishings, and clothing in cupboards and drawers.

    It can also affect wall plaster and cause woodwork to rot.

    Tips to reduce condensation in your home

    To try to combat mould from forming in your home it is important to keep moisture in your home to a minimum.

    To produce less moisture in your home, you can:

    • dry clothes outdoors whenever possible or put them in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open, or fan on
    • cover pans when cooking and do not leave kettles boiling
    • make sure your washing machine and tumble dryer is vented to external air in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
    • avoid use of bottled gas or paraffin heaters - not only do they produce a lot of moisture, they are a health and safety risk.

    You also need to make sure you ventilate your home to remove any excess moisture. Kitchens and bathrooms are usually where the most moisture collects so we’d recommend that you:

    • open the windows while they are in use and/or use an extractor fan (if you have one)
    • close all internal kitchen and bathroom doors while in use
    • after cooking or washing, leave the windows open for around 20 minutes to clear out the steam
    • wipe down surfaces when moisture has settled - this will prevent mould forming.

    In the rest of the house:

    • Keep a small window ajar (if it is safe to do so) or a trickle ventilator open when someone is in the room
    • Allow air to circulate around furniture and cupboards and do not block air vents.
    Energy at home

    Get advice from the Energy Saving Trust on how to make your home more efficient, reduce your carbon footprint and lower your energy bills.
    Make sure your home is energy efficient

    Citizen’s Advice offer guidance on how to get the most from your heating and how to keep your home warm for longer.
    Home to make your home more energy efficient

    This article on the Which? website offers information on energy performance certificates and how to improve your home’s energy rating.
    Find ways to save energy in your home

    Get home improvement recommendations from GOV.UK that could make your property check to heat and keep warm.
    Email healthy.homes@eastriding.gov.uk
    Call the healthy homes team on (01482) 396301
    Email healthy.homes@eastriding.gov.uk
    Call the healthy homes team on (01482) 396301

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