Fuel and Water Efficiency

By making the right decisions when it comes to buying energy efficient products and services, you can help reduce your carbon impact.

Meet with the Fuel and Water Home Adviser

Residents needing extra support this winter can now reach out to Swale Borough Council’s Fuel and Water Home Adviser for help and advice, managed by Swale Charity Children and Families.

You can get advice on how to effectively manage energy and water use in your home, installing low cost measures such as draught proofing and radiator reflector panels, and helping those who are eligible to apply for grants.

Complete the self referral form.

Alternatively, contact Stevie Pettitt on spettitt@children-families.org or 01795 889233.

If you can relate to any of these statements, take a look at the resources available:

Green Energy

Green energy can be achieved at home in various ways:

Solar PV panels
Ground source heat pumps
Residential wind power

You may be able to switch tariffs or suppliers and receive the energy for your home from renewable sources, including wind or solar power.

The energy regulator, Ofgem has more advice to help you make the right choices, including a list of recommended price comparison websites.

If you are looking at installing Solar Panels, sign up for updates about the round of Solar Together scheme to benefit from the power of group purchasing.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

The government is providing grants to encourage property owners to install low carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). These grants can help property owners overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies.

The scheme is open to domestic and small non-domestic properties in England and Wales. It runs from 2022 to 2025.

You can get:

£5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump
£5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler
£6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump

You can get one grant per property.

Saving Energy at Home

Easy changes around the house include:

Switch to LED lightbulbs, with longer life spans and which are more efficient, saving you money in the long run
Make sure your heating isn’t turned higher than necessary
Install a smart meter
Turning off lights in rooms you’re not using and switching off appliances at the wall (rather than leaving them on standby) could save you around £44 a year
Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can save around £80 on your energy bill of a typical, gas-heated three-bedroom semi.
Use your washing machine at 30°C
Draught-proofing doors and windows could save you around £20 per year by stopping heat from leaking from your home

… And more

If you want to make some switches but you struggle around the house, we may be able to help. Our Staying Put service provides you with help with odd jobs, including changing bulbs.

Green Homes Grant

Sustainable Warmth (Green Homes Grant) is a UK Government funded initiative, supporting local projects to make energy-saving improvements in people’s homes. It aims to help households manage fuel bills, make homes warmer and more comfortable, lower carbon emissions, and create green jobs. Warmworks is the Managing Agent of Sustainable Warmth, working on behalf of the Greater South East Energy Hub to support local authorities across the region.

Potential improvements include:

wall insulation
loft insulation
underfloor insulation
air source, ground source or hybrid heat pumps
double / triple glazing to replace single glazing
energy efficient doors
thermostats and heating controls
hot water tank insulation

Owner occupiers, and private rented properties are eligible for the scheme. For people who live in a rented property, the landlord will need to give us permission to install energy-saving improvements.

Householders also need to meet certain eligibility criteria to qualify for funding:

The home must have a low energy efficiency rating (an EPC rating of D, E, F, or G – this will be assessed by Warmworks)
The household must meet one of the other qualifying criteria:
- Annual household income of less than £30,000 (after tax and deductions)
- Annual household income of less than £20,000 a year (after housing costs are deducted)
- Unemployed and receiving benefits related to income, disability or health
- Subject to an income payment agreement (such as bankruptcy, IVA or step change)
- State pension age and receiving housing credit