During winter it is essential to keep warm and healthy and making your home more energy efficient and insulated will help you achieve this. Along with the other initiatives and ideas you may have already seen on our website, advice and help is available from the following organisations:
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Different utility companies can charge different rates for supplying electricity and gas to your home. You may find a cheaper rate by changing your supplier or payment method. Various websites offer impartial advice on different tariffs available and explain how to change supplier.
National Energy Action can also offer advice on what to look for when deciding to change your tariff. To find out more information contact your supplier direct or visi:
The National Energy Action (external website)
Alternatively you may like to join together with other consumers to cut energy bills using combined switching power of thousands of consumers, 'Which' and '38 Degrees North' are both trying to negotiate with energy suppliers to secure a market deal:
You can also find a range of handy hints on how to reduce your fuel bills in the following document.
Handy Hints on Energy Efficiency (pdf 168kb opens in new window)
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The Home Heat Helpline can advise you on benefits, grants for free home insulation, reduced tariffs and special payment options your energy supplier provides to help those struggling with their fuel bills.
The Home Heat Helpline (external website)
You can call the Home Heat Helpline on freephone (0800) 336699 or minicom (0800) 027 2122 for free advice.
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During winter it is essential to keep warm and healthy, making your home more energy efficient and insulated will help you achieve this. You maybe eligible for help with the cost of heating your home if you are 60 or over, disabled or on a low income.
Winter fuel payments are available if you were born on or before 5th July 1950.
Cold weather payments may also be available to help those in receipt of benefit for periods of very cold weather.
For more details on either winter fuel or cold weather payments please visit the government’s website.
Directgov (external website)
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Cavity and loft insulation grants
The reduced cost insulation scheme to all is now closed due to changes in Government legislation and funding.
You may still be eligible for aid if you are in receipt of certain means tested benefits such as pension credit and subject to a survey of your home.
To receive more information please complete a private housing service request (opens in new window), email the energy efficiency team or telephone the council on (01482) 396301.
Renewable energy grants
Renewable grants at present are via Feed in tariffs which have been available since April 2010. These grants are for solar electricity panels (PV) or wind turbines. For more information please visit the Energy Saving Trust website.
Energy Saving Trust (external website)
Grants will be available for solar thermal, air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, bio mass boilers and renewable combined heat and power which are currently under consultation and proposed to be introduced in 2013 for domestic dwellings. More information about the grants can be found at the Department of Energy and Climate Change website.
Department of Energy and Climate Change (external website)
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Limited discounted home insulation offer.
If you are an owner occupier or privately renting tenant living in the East Riding of Yorkshire you could benefit from £200 towards improving the insulation in your home.
If you are:
Solarwall are working in conjunction with East Riding of Yorkshire Council to help you save money on your heating bills so call today on (0800) 138 0079 or (01904) 690824 or email Solarwall at enquiries@solarwall.co.uk to secure your funding. Terms and Conditions apply.
This offer is limited and only available until 31 March 2013 so please apply early to ensure your discount.
To receive more information please complete a private housing service request (opens in new window), email the energy efficiency team or telephone the council on (01482) 396301.
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If you would like to know how much you could save if you improved the energy efficiency of your property and made a few simple changes to how you live in your home, call the Energy Saving Trust’s freephone number (0800) 512012 and advisors will be happy to help you.
Or you can try the Act on CO² calculator website which forms part of the Government’s larger Act On CO² campaign.
Act on CO² calculator (external website)
Alternatively you can use Imeasure provided by the University of Oxford environmental change institute to check your home energy use.
Imeasure (external website)
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Since October 2008, all domestic buildings require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when they are bought, sold or rented out. An EPC gives information on how to make your home more energy efficient and reduce carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions.
A Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating is provided which measures the energy efficiency of your home using a grade from A to G, similar to the energy performance certificates now provided with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines where A is very efficient and G is very inefficient. The report also provides recommendations on what you could do to help reduce the amount of energy you use and reduce CO² emissions.
From 1 October 2008 landlords, or their agents, need to provide an EPC whenever a home in the social or private rented sector is let to a new tenant. Landlords, or their agents, must provide an EPC free of charge to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity. This should be when they are first given written information about the property or view it, and before any rental contract is entered into. An EPC is not required for any property that was occupied before 1 October 2008 and which continues to be occupied after that date by the same tenant.
A number of amendments to the original regulations covering the provision of Energy Performance Certificates have been introduced over subsequent years and were consolidated in December 2012.
The following pdf document provides information to landlords on EPC's.
A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction,sale and let of dwellings (pdf 383kb opens in new window)
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Only accredited domestic energy assessors and home inspectors can produce an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
If you use an independent energy assessor make sure they are a current member
of an accreditation scheme, as this ensures your energy assessor is operating
to professional standards. An EPC is only authentic if issued by an accredited
Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). Details of accredited DEA’s can be found at the Energy Performance Register.
Energy performance register (external website)
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