WARMTH FOR ALL IN CAMDEN

9 January 2006

Camden Council’s Warmth for All scheme is helping Camden residents on a low-income keep warm this winter.

The programme aims to help older people, those with long-term health problems or a disability, and families with children to keep their home warm by providing grants of up to £5,000 to update heating systems and improve insulation in people’s homes, gives out energy saving appliances, and offers advice on how to save energy. Warmth for All can also help homeowners and private tenants by contributing up to £500 towards the cost of replacing old and inefficient heating systems called open flued or back boilers, with modern energy efficient boilers.

Since 2001 the Warmth for All scheme has provided 863 grants worth over £1.2 million and over 14,000 energy efficient light bulbs and appliances have been distributed.

The scheme has helped people like Peter Richards (81) who lives on his disability war pension with his wife Elvira (86). The couple who have lived in their flat in Haddo House on Highgate Road for over 40 years faced a £3,500 bill to replace their heating system when it broke down in October last year.

Mr Richards said, “Our central heating was nearly 20 years old and was out of date. When it broke down we didn’t have the money available to fix it. Luckily I found out about the Warmth for All scheme and it helped us pay for the new heating system. Getting a new boiler has had other benefits too. Now we always have the hot water we need and it saves us money by only heating the water we actually use and heating our home better. We can keep our home warm all the time and we’ve also got a new cupboard to fill where the old water tank used to be. “

Cllr Julian Fulbrook, Executive Member for Housing, said, “Warmth for All provides a vital lifeline to vulnerable people in cold weather. It can transform lives during cold snaps, keeping people warm and dry and saving them money too. It also offers advice on saving money and keeping warm in cold weather - something all of us should take notice of.”

Warmth for All can offer advice on staying warm and saving money, including doing simple no cost things like keeping curtains closed at night to keep the heat in and setting the hot water thermostat to 55-60oC. Other low cost tips include insulating hot water pipes and cylinders and putting aluminium foil behind radiators. A full list of tips is available on the council’s website www.camden.gov.uk/warmthforall.

If you need help keeping your home warm or think you could qualify for a heating grant visit the council’s website on www.camden.gov.uk/warmthforall or call the freephone helpline on 0800 801 738.

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.