Warm homes for all strategy

District of Easington Affordable Warmth Strategy

Introduction

Fuel Poverty

The District of Easington has developed its Warm homes for All Affordable Warmth Strategy to address the issue of fuel poverty in our district. Fuel poverty occurs when a household is unable to afford sufficient heating for health and comfort due to the combined effect of low income, inadequate heating systems, lack of insulation measures and high fuel costs.

Affordable Warmth

Affordable Warmth is the solution to fuel poverty. It enables householders to heat their homes to an adequate level of comfort and health without developing financial debt as a result.

District of Easington Affordable Warmth Strategy

Fuel poverty is a complex problem and its solution requires a strategic approach. The District of Easington Warm Homes for All Strategy has been formed as a result of a number of consultative workshops held with the public, a wide range of organisations and community groups, along with expert guidance from National Energy Action who are the National Fuel poverty Charity and support from Transco.

Our strategy sets out the aims and objectives developed by the District of Easington and partner organisations to achieve the provision of an Affordable Warmth action plan.

Commitment for Affordable Warmth

As a demonstration of commitment to Affordable Warmth issues, the District of Easington has obtained corporate approval for this strategy via Cabinet and Executive Committee. The District of Easington is working to bring the benefits of Affordable Warmth to the residents suffering from fuel poverty. This will be achieved by working in partnership with a wide range of organisations and groups to find the solutions to help us achieve our goals.

In doing so the District of Easington is contributing towards many of the Authorities strategic objectives. But the cause and consequences of fuel poverty are such that action to bring Affordable Warmth will result in improvements to the health and well being, as well as the comfort of our residents. It will therefore contribute significantly towards other key priority areas for the District of Easington.

Summary of the Affordable Warmth Action Plan

A total of Nine Key Aims underpin our Affordable Warmth Strategy, each with its own set of objectives and tasks. To view the full action plan click on the Warm Homes for All link at the right hand side of this page and the Action Plan is set out in Section 10 of this document. An overview of the main points are as follows:

Key Aim 1

Provide an effective energy advice service that reaches the most vulnerable members of the community.

Key Aim 2

Take advantage of the competitive fuel supply market.

Key Aim 3

Identify target priorities for Affordable Warmth.

Key Aim 4

Develop partnerships with public, private and voluntary sector organisations.

Key Aim 5

Ensure integration with other relevant initiatives and policies.

Key Aim 6

Raise energy awareness amongst partner organisations.

Key Aim 7

Improve the energy efficiency on Council Housing Stock.

Key Aim 8

Promote Affordable Warmth programmes in Private Sector Properties.

Key Aim 9

Establish a co-ordinating mechanism to oversee development and delivery.

To view the District of Easington Warm Homes for All Strategy just select the click on the right hand side of this page. If you have any comments regarding this Strategy please do not hesitate to contact:

Cliff Duff, Energy Conservation Officer, details shown at the bottom of this page.