Whilst this project may have officially ended on 31st March 2023, we recognise that fuel poverty and the struggles with energy prices hasn’t simply stopped!

As such, we wanted to share as much as possible from what our advisors learnt, the details of some great other organisations out there helping in Pembrokeshire, and keep a record of the breadth of support and resources out there. To see how the project went, simply scroll down to the posts further below, but if you are looking for support and help, then check out the info below.

Note: that all the information below was accurate as at 31st March 2023 and we cannot guarantee it will still all be accurate or the support available beyond that date.

Where to go for home energy advice: 

Cwm Arian Renewable Energy – Pembrokeshire Smarter Energy Support Service (P- SESS)

• FREE home energy advice and support throughout Pembrokeshire 
• Thermal Imaging Surveys – showing where heat is lost from the home, accompanied by advice on how to limit heat loss. 

Contact: energy@cwmarian.org.uk 
Phone number: 01239 920 201
Website: www.cwmarian.org.uk/psess 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EnergySupportService 

Frank at FRAME

• FREE home energy advice and support through Pembrokeshire 
• Extra support available, such as assistance applying for schemes/grants

Contact: frank@frameltd.co.uk

Keep Warm, Keep Well, Pembrokeshire – contains helpful information on energy in Pembrokeshire, including the Warm Welcome map of local Warm Rooms – Keep Warm Keep Well Pembrokeshire 

Extra support services:

Priority Services Register (PSR) – 

• Free to join. The PSR helps energy companies to look after customers with extra communication, access or safety needs.
• You are eligible for the PSR, if you are of pension age, use medical equipment reliant on electricity or water, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, are deaf or hard of hearing, have a chronic illness, have a mental health condition, have a disability, have communication boundaries, or an impaired sense of smell. 
• Benefits of the PSR – support and information during a power/gas supply interruption, connection to local emergency services, emergency power and gas, communication tailored to your needs, help with meter access and reading. 
• Sign up on The PSR Portal.  

West Wales Care and Repair – 

• Helping older people in Pembrokeshire to live independently at home. 
• They can offer energy efficiency advice, and assistance to stay well in your home. 
• Email: hello@wwcr.co.uk 
• Phone number: 01437 76617
• West Wales Care and Repair 

ATEB –

• Offer free home energy review to provide energy saving information and advice, including helping people to understand and better use temperature controls and timers. 
• Email: home-energy@atebgroup.co.uk 
• Phone: 0800 854 568
• ATEB 

Citizens Advice – 

• Offer a huge range of support. Their fully qualified advisors can help with energy advice – tariffs, efficiency advice, fuel options, grants. They can also help with welfare benefits claims, debt management and housing. 
• Pembrokeshire Citizens Advice – 01437 806070 or 01437 767936
• Pembrokeshire Citizens Advice  

Turn2Us – 

• Free and easy-to-use Benefits Calculator and Grants search tools to check what benefits you may be able to claim and the grants you could apply for. 
• Turn2Us Support 

Energy Support Schemes – Applicable to everyone 

Energy Bills Support Scheme –

• £400 paid over 6 months. 
• Should have received £66 in October, November 2022. Followed by £67 in December, January, February, and March 2023.
• All households with a domestic energy connection are eligible.
• This is received automatically through your electricity supplier. If you haven’t received it then contact your energy supplier. 
• Never provide your bank details over the phone, the payment will be directly through your energy supplier. 

Energy Price Guarantee – 

• Price of energy per unit is limited. 
• The Government subsidises energy costs which provides a discount on the previous Price Cap for households (created by Ofgem in 2019). 
• Typical household energy bills will remain at £2500 a year. 
• This has been extended until the end of June 2023.  

Link below:

Energy Price Guarantee Fact Sheet  

Energy Support Schemes – Automatic – based on eligibility

Cost of Living Payments – 

• Up to £900 for people on eligible low income benefits 
• £300 for pensioner households 
• £150 for people on eligible disability benefits 
• Payments are automatic. However, if you believe you haven’t received something you are entitled to, you can check your eligibility and report missed payments on the link below: 

Check eligibility and report missed payments 

Winter Fuel Payment – 

• You’re eligible for the winter fuel payment if you’re born before 26th September 1956. 
• £100 – £300. Dependent on the criteria you meet (for example, living alone, receiving benefits). 
• You should have received a letter in October or November 2022. 
• If you believe you’re eligible, and you didn’t receive the payment. You can claim online at the below link: 

Claim Winter Fuel Payment. 

Alternative Fuel Payment – 

• £200 payment for off-grid households who use alternative fuels such as oil, LPG, and biomass to heat their homes. 
• This is £150 for business registered addresses. 
• Most will receive this payment automatically through their electricity supplier. 
• Some may not receive this payment automatically. For example, those who live in park homes, on a farm, or don’t have a domestic electricity meter. 
• If you haven’t received the payment automatically, you will need to claim the payment online. Follow the link below, and choose “start now” to begin the application process: 

Apply for Alternative Fuel Payment Scheme.  

Warm Home Discount Scheme – 

• £150 off your electricity bill during winter 2022 – 2023. 
• You qualify for this if you get the Guaranteed Credit element of Pension Credit and are on a low income and have high energy costs. 
• If you haven’t received this payment and you think you could be eligible. Check online – Check if you’re eligible – Warm Home Discount Scheme.  
• If you live in a park home, you’ll need to apply for the Park Home Warm Discount Scheme instead.  

Cold Weather Payment – 

• You’ll get a payment if the average temperature in the area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over 7 consecutive days. 
• £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1st November and 31st March. 
• Check if a payment is due in your area
• How to claim if you didn’t receive your Cold Weather Payment 

Energy Support Schemes – By Application – based on eligibility 

Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF): 

• The DAF provides two types of grant that you do not need to pay back. 
• The Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP) is a grant to help pay for essential costs, such as food, gas, electricity, clothing, or emergency travel if you – are experiencing extreme financial hardship, have lost your job, have applied for benefits and are waiting for the first payment.
• The Individual Assistance Payment (IAP) is a grant to help you or someone you care for to live independently in their home. The grant can be used to pay for white goods such as – a fridge, cooker, or washing machine, or can be used to buy home furniture. 
• Check your eligibility and apply using the link below: 

Discretionary Assistance Fund 

Charis Grants Let’s Talk Energy – 

• Charis are partnered with Ovo Energy, So Energy and Utilita to support households who may be struggling, through the Charis Let’s Talk Energy Fund. 
• Applications from OVO Energy group (including OVO Energy, SSE, Spark and Boost) customers, So Energy customers, and Utilita customers will be considered first.
• You will be asked about your household circumstances. 
• Check your eligibility and apply here. 

Energy Supplier Grants – 

• Many energy suppliers offer grants if you are in dept to your supplier and struggling to pay your bills. 
• Suppliers such as British Gas, OVO, EON, EDF, Bulb Energy, Octopus, and Shell offer grants. Check your supplier’s website for details on eligibility and how to apply. 

Gas Connection Grants – 

• If you are off the gas connection grid, and would like to be connected, you may be eligible for a gas connection grant. 
• You could be eligible if you receive key qualifying benefits and spend a high percentage of disposable income on fuel. 
• To find out if you qualify for a grant before you pay for a gas connection, complete Warm Wales’ Gas Connection Grants Application form.  

Fuel Direct –

• If you owe money to your fuel supplier, money can be taken directly out of your benefits payments to pay the debt. 
• The benefits that can be used – Universal Creidt, JSA, ESA, Income support, Pension credit. 
• A fixed amount is deducted from your benefits until you’ve paid off the debt you owe. If you want to pay more than the fixed rate, you must arrange this with the organisation that you owe. 
• Find out more here. 

Home Energy Improvement Schemes 

Nest Wales Scheme –

• Offers a range of free, impartial advice, and if you are eligible, a package of free home energy efficiency improvements such as a new boiler, central heating, insulation, or solar panels. 
• Package of free home improvements up to £3000 – £6000 per property. 
• Must meet three conditions to be eligible – 

1. You own or privately rent your home
2. Your home is energy inefficient and expensive to heat
3. You or someone you live with receives a means-tested benefit, OR has a chronic respiratory, circulatory or mental health condition and an income below the defined thresholds. 

• More information on eligibility criteria here. 
• To apply, call Freephone 0808 808 2244 (Monday to Friday 9am-6pm). 
• The following questions will be asked upon application, spend some time getting this information ready before you call. 

1. Is the main heating system working? (Yes/No)
2. What is the property type? (E.g. Bungalow/Flat/House etc.) 
3. What period was the property built? (Pre 1900’s, 1900 – 1929, 1930 – 1949, 1950-1966, 1976-1982, 1983-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2002, 2003-2006, 2007-2011 and 2012 onwards)
4. How many bedrooms are in the property?
5. What is the main heating type?
6. What is the main wall type? (E.g. Built cavity, concrete, other/don’t know etc.)
7. Are the walls insulated? 
8. What is the main roof type? (Flat roof, loft, or Room in roof)
9. How much insulation is installed in the loft? (less than 5cm, 5-15cm, more than 15cm, other/don’t know)
10. If Room in roof, what type? (Converted 1991 or later, pre 1991, or home built with room in roof)
11. Is the Room in roof insulated? 

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) – 

• A government run scheme that provides grants to move away from fossil fuel-based heating (oil etc.). BUS supports the decarbonisation of heat in buildings. It provides upfront capital grants to support the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers in homes.
• This is an installer-led scheme, you can find a list of BUS certified installers here. 
• Acting on behalf of property owners, installers can apply for: £5000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump, £5000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler, or £6000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump, including water source heat pumps.

 Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and ECO-Flex (also called ECO4)

• ECO is a grant scheme allowing for energy efficiency improvements for private residents. 
• You may be eligible if your home (rented or owner-occupied) is energy inefficient, and you either spend more than 10% of your income on fuel, or are vulnerable to the cold. Or you receive income-related benefits. 
• Grants are administered by agents working on behalf of energy companies. Agents collect client details, perform home energy surveys and arrange the works for successful applicants. The council then vets these applications and a decision is made by the energy company or their agent. 
• For more information, email: ecoflex@pembrokeshire.gov.uk 
• There is a list of ECO-flex agents operating in Pembrokeshire found here.

Energy Saving Tips 

1. Switch devices off standby. You can save around £65 a year (Energy Saving Trust, 2022) by remembering to turn your appliances off standby mode. 
2. Switch to low energy LED bulbs. Filament light bulbs cost 10 times more to run per hour than low energy LED bulbs (CARE, 2023). 
3. Use your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures. 
4. Spend less time in the shower. By limiting your shower time to four minutes, you could save a typical household £95 a year on their energy bills (Energy Saving Trust, 2022). 
5. Insulate your hot water cylinder. Ensure you choose a BSI Kitemark water cylinder jacket, which can save £70 a year (Energy Saving Trust, 2022). 
6. Turn your thermostat down 1 degree, this could save £115 a year. 18°c is suitable for most adults. Although, if you’re elderly, ill, or very young, you’ll need to keep the temperature to around 21°c. 
7. If you have a combi boiler – reduce the flow temperature. This is usually set higher than necessary. Combi boilers work best when they heat radiators to 60°c or below.
8. If you have a combi boiler – Turn down the hot water temperature. 55°c should be enough for most. You can also turn the preheat setting off on combi boilers, so it doesn’t waste money whilst you’re out.
9. Control which rooms you heat. Turn off the radiators in the rooms that you don’t need heated. Use your thermostatic radiator valves to do this. If you do not have radiator valves, consider having them installed. Make sure to check whether you’re getting any mould build up in the colder rooms. Turn the temperature up if you are! 
10.  Regularly bleed your radiators to ensure efficient heating. 

Check your boiler pressure. Pressure varies between boiler models, but 1- 2 bars is usually ideal. Your fuel bills can be higher than necessary if your boiler is set to an incorrect pressure

We hope the above was helpful and please to share this page so others can benefit. Read on below to see how the project went. You can find out more about EcoDewi’s other projects by emailing hello@ecodewi.org.uk

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