THE temperature has dropped and it’s more important than ever to make sure your home is heated properly.
A warm home is important for both physical and mental health but some people struggle to pay their bills and others may have faulty heating equipment that they can’t afford to replace.
In Oldham, there’s a national award-winning scheme ready to help locals heat their home.
Warm Homes Oldham was set up by Oldham Council, NHS Oldham CCG and Oldham Housing Investment Partnership (OHIP) in 2013 and since then has helped over 4,500 people out of fuel poverty.
It helps local people who struggle to afford to heat their home by paying for home improvements, such as boilers and insulation as well as support from qualified advisors in saving energy and maximising income.
May Bradford, 86, got help from the scheme as her boiler was no longer working and beyond repair but she could not afford to replace it.
Warm Homes Oldham successfully applied for a grant for a new boiler from a charitable trust.
With their help May also switched to a different energy tariff and will save £230 a year and the team also fitted useful measures, such as radiator foils, to help her save further on costs.
The scheme has won a number of national awards during the last few years including a Heat Heroes Award, a Guardian Public Service Award, and a Housing Excellence Award to name a few.
The work is far from over though and the team remains committed to helping even more Oldhamers heat their homes.
The Warm Homes Oldham team can arrange to visit properties to see if any of the following four steps to affordable warmth are right for you:
• Insulate your home and upgrade your heating system for free
• Advice on how to reduce your energy use
• Advice on maximising your income, claiming benefit entitlements and helping with fuel debt
• Help from other local support services in Oldham
For more information or to register your interest in the scheme go to: www.warmhomesoldham.org or call 0800 019 1084.