Helping home owners enjoy a warm winter

Nov 18 2008 by Francesca Craggs, The Journal

AS THE dark nights draw closer, one organisation is working harder than any to ensure residents across the region will be having a warm and cosy winter.

GoWarm focuses on delivering insulation and heating measures, benefits assistance and energy advice to home owners in communities across the North East that so far have missed out on schemes offered by other organisations

And if the reception to their efforts already in 2008 is anything to go by, then it’s only going to get warmer for everyone.

Since the start of the year, more than 58,000 homes have been assessed by the team at GoWarm, who aim to fight fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions across the region. Leading on from those assessments, the team has already installed around 1,500 measures a month, meaning more than 12,000 homes have already benefited.

Supported by Defra’s Community Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) National Grid and ScottishPower, the team is forging forward in new areas, as well as revisiting areas serviced at the start of the programme to ensure that any residents not yet helped don’t miss out completely.

Karen Hindhaugh, director of GoWarm, said: “We are ahead of target and intend to help as many residents in the areas we operate in as possible. We are being very diligent and are revisiting areas previously assessed. We understand that people can be at work or out for the day, so we want to ensure that they get the chance to talk to an assessor face to face to work out what they might be entitled to.

“We send door-to-door assessors out on extended hours in the evening and weekend to ensure that everyone in the areas of entitlement has been contacted; especially now the colder months are upon us.”

Once a property has its measures installed, GoWarm then helps residents with a free benefits check. Currently the benefits advice team has unlocked £200,000 for householders, putting them on target to hit a total of at least £500,000 by the end of the year.

GoWarm is currently working in Chester-le- Street, Middlesbrough and Sedgefield, Stockton, City of Durham, Wear Valley, Derwentside and Easington, and is now underway with work in Redcar and Barnard Castle.

More information on GoWarm and a form for self assessment is available on www.gowarm.org.uk