Cliff Duff, Housing Projects Manager, Regeneration and Local Services, Durham County
Title ‘Introducing the Durham Fuel Poverty Partnership, overview of achievements’
4. Context
£1, 2 3 8
• BEIS – Average domestic energy bill
• Fuel poor households spend on average £1,000 a
year more on energy to heat their home
5. Local Context
• North East fuel poverty 12.2%
• County Durham fuel poverty 12.2%
• Estimated 28,700 households in Co
Durham in fuel poverty
• Up to 33.9% in off gas rural areas
7. Affordable Warmth Strategy
• County Durham Affordable Warmth Strategy
2015-2020 (www.durham.gov.uk)
• Seven Key Objectives
• Raise awareness of assistance
• Provide confidence to engage
• Provide help and support
8. Fuel Poverty Partnership
• Partnership working
• AgeUK, CA, CDRA, Fire Service, DCC, East
Durham Trust, Housing Associations, Durham
Rural Council
• Deliver the AW Strategy
• Co-ordinate assistance to fuel poor
households
• Maximise external funding opportunities
9. County Durham
Warm Homes Campaign
• Raise awareness of fuel poverty grants
• Provide scheme credibility and assistance
• Countywide promotions of local and national schemes
• 900 local community venues countywide
• Increase uptake by providing customer confidence
• Targeted mail outs to low income households
• Referrals from DCC Services and external partners eg. Welfare
Rights, Age UK, CA, Fire and Rescue Service, East Durham
Trust, Managing Money Better
10. Warm up North
• Local Authority partnership involving nine
local authorities
• British Gas is the ECO funding partner
• Helping households improve the energy
efficiency of their home
• 1,055 energy efficient boilers and insulation
measures installed
11. Central Heating Fund
• Free central heating systems for fuel poor
households
• Warm up North awarded £6.5m
• Rural off gas areas – oil central heating and air
source heat pumps
• Improved targeting of fuel poor households
• Commenced December 2015 and extended to March
2017
• To date 1,200 households assisted, 350 in County
Durham
12. Warm and Healthy Homes
• Households with ill health living in cold damp home
• Warmer homes to help reduce cold ill health and
excess winter deaths
• New central heating, fuel debt advice, fire safety
checks
• Award in 2016 from national fuel poverty charity
(NEA)
• 300 referrals received, 116 households assisted
• Joint working with DDES Clinical Commissioning
Group
13. Partner Schemes
• Managing Money Better
• East Durham Trust
• AgeUK
• Welfare Rights
• Fire and Rescue Service
• Energy Utility Trusts
• Housing and Health Booster Fund
14. Conclusion
•ECO2 – greater role for Local Authority Partnerships to
reduce levels of fuel poverty
•Targeting of vulnerable households in fuel poverty
•Drawing on the strengths of existing partnerships to
help fuel poor households to improve their energy
efficiency
•Golden ticket – Local Authorities maybe able to
nominate households for assistance using ECO2
funding