Prepare your home for winter – energy efficiency grants and collective switching news from West Berkshire Council

Heat the Home Counties Energy efficiency grants

A consortium of councils (Bracknell Forest, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Runnymede, Spelthorne and West Berkshire), in partnership with The HEAT Project and Happy Energy Solutions Ltd are working together to make homes healthier, warmer, and more energy efficient. Grants are available towards measures such as boiler upgrades, central heating systems, insulation, and renewable energy systems.

Central heating grants funded by the consortium’s successful bid to the National Grid’s Warm Homes Fund; are also available. These are for households who currently have no heating, such as open fires or plug in electric heaters, or those who wish to switch from electric storage heaters to a full radiator heating system. Grant funding can also be provided towards the cost of a new mains gas connection, or, in rural areas, the new heating system can be fuelled from LPG, and in some cases, by a ground source heat pump.
You may be eligible for a grant if your household income after tax, Council Tax and energy costs is less than £35,000 per year, or if someone in your household receives benefits. Residents looking to take advantage of any of these grants can call Heat the Home Counties on 01344 888930, or go to www.heatthehomecounties.org.uk  All works are subject to survey, eligibility criteria and limited funding.

West Berkshire Energy Switch –

See if you can pay less for your energy bills
The West Berkshire Energy Switch is a free to join scheme which gives residents the chance to see if they can make savings on their fuel bills.
Since 2016, over 630 households have switched supplier through the scheme, saving over £144,000 between them. The recent May auction saw switchers saving an average of £174 on their annual bill.
A one day reverse auction will be held in February; with suppliers competing with their best offers, and the winning supplier/s then sending registrants their personalised offer for consideration. Auctions are held each year in February, May and October.
There is no obligation to switch. Sign up and see if you can save; to register or find out more, visit www.westberks.gov.uk/communityswitch
You will need to have your latest energy bill to hand, as you’ll need the details during the registration process. Registration and acceptance is open 3^rd December 2019 until 24^th March 2020, and offers will begin to go out from 25^th February.
West Berkshire residents without internet access should contact West Berkshire Council on 01635 503267 by 13^th March 2020 to register. Remember to have your energy bill or annual statement to hand when you call.

THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
This slogan was splashed across the entrance of the COMMUNITY GREENFEST organised by the villagers of Hampstead Norreys on September 7^th. This promises to be the first of many events dedicated to combating climate change and promoting sustainable living in our local area.      (Check out the websites for HEAT –Hungerford Environmental Action Team, &   W BERKS GREEN EXCHANGE
Given the tide of bad news concerning the worsening state of the environment which is gathering speed, there are many things we can all do to help. So what might we consider? Perhaps one way is to ensure we get our energy from a sustainable source, that uses sun, wind, and water to generate power. Energy from fossil fuels intensifies levels of CO2 that are warming the atmosphere. Among a clutch of life-style changes that we can all make, ‘the biggest bang for your bucks’ comes from adopting renewable energy.
There are now a range of ‘GREEN’ energy providers, all competing for your business, and many offering financial incentives if you switch. Here are some, listed in alphabetical order, with contact details; –
BULB – https://bulb.co.uk Absolutely green. Offering £50 to switch.
ECOTRICITY –    ecotricity.co.uk     0808 123 0123 Supports anti-fracking.
GOOD ENERGY –    goodenergy.co.uk 0808 254 0004. Offering £50 to switch.
Invests in renewable infrastructure.
OCTOPUS ENERGY –    www.octopus.energy      Cheaper, but not !00% green.