Energy Advice

The Government offers a number of grants and schemes to help with:

• fuel bills
• ensuring your home is more energy efficient
• getting a new boiler, insulation or other improvements

You can email the Green Homes Team at greenhomes@havering.gov.uk if you have any questions.

Green Homes Grant

The Havering Council Green Homes Programme is funded by the Government and other sources, as part of the national drive to reduce carbon emissions.  

Havering Council is working in partnership with Warmworks to bring healthier, warmer and more comfortable homes.

If your home has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G, which often results in high energy bills, you may be eligible for a significant grant of up to £10,000, to install renewable energy or insulation upgrades, to help keep you warmer whilst reducing your energy bills and carbon emissions. 

In order to be eligible for the grant, your total gross household income must be below £30,000 per annum.

You can visit the EPC register site to check your EPC rating and efficiency recommendations.

Or alternatively if, after deducting tax, national insurance, your mortgage (or rent) payments and council tax, your income is below £20,000 per year. 

 The energy saving measures that you may be able to receive in your house include:

• an upgrade to a renewable energy heat pump heating system
• solid or cavity wall insulation
• solar PV (to generate free electricity)
• loft or roof insulation

The upgrades offered will be based on the results of our free whole house survey.

All grant applications and works are made and managed seamlessly on your behalf by our managing agent Warmworks, who also manage all of the installation works.

After the whole house survey you will be given a choice of upgrades that are suitable for your property and you can choose if you want to go ahead.

If you own your property and meet the eligibility criteria you will pay nothing. 

If you rent your property (other than from a social landlord), get into contact with your landlord and tell them about this programme. If you qualify your landlord could be entitled to grants up to £5000 and it will only cost them one third of any upgrades installed. 

 If you have any questions you can send them to Warmworks

• greenhomesgrant@warmworks.co.uk
• 0808 196 8255

 Apply for the grant online 
 

If you are on a low income you may be able to get £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2021 to 2022 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

The money is not paid to you - it’s a one-off discount on your electricity bill, between October and March.

You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if your supplier provides you with both gas and electricity. Contact your supplier to find out more.

Eligibility

There are 2 ways to qualify for the Warm Home Discount Scheme:

• you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit - known as the ‘core group’
• you’re on a low income and meet your energy supplier’s criteria for the scheme - known as the ‘broader group’

How you apply for the Warm Home Discount Scheme depends on how you qualify for the discount.

Visit the gov.uk website to see if you qualify.

SHINE is a London wide referral network, which offers a free energy advice service for Londoners.

They have a dedicated helpline and affordable warmth interventions to ensure households get the help and support they need to reduce utility bills and stay warm.

SHINE accepts referrals for any tenure of household i.e. owned or rented, but households need to have an income below £16,190 per year or have a family member in a SHINE target group (has a disability, long term health condition, child under 15 or an adult over 60).

SHINE offers: advice on saving energy and reducing bills grants available for heating and insulation support with energy and water debt water and electricity discounts inclusion in supplier vulnerable customer registers Energy Doctor home visits to install energy efficiency measures i.e. draught proofing doors and windows.

You can contact SHINE directly Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm on 0300 555 0195, or visit the SHINE website for more information.

Big London Energy Switch

Around 50 per cent of people have not switched energy suppliers in the last 3 years. This means they are usually on a 'Standard Variable Tariff' which is typically more expensive.

Collective energy switching uses the power of numbers to get a competitive offer. The London Borough of Havering is part of the Big London Energy Switch, the largest energy switching community.

The Big London Energy Switch groups residents from across the country to get the most competitive offer.

It’s quick, easy and free to sign up usually taking around five minutes to complete the online form.

Sign up to the Big London Energy Switch

The Big London Energy switch will then hold an auction where pre-vetted energy suppliers compete for your custom.

A personal offer will then be sent to you directly at which point you can choose to accept or decline the offer. If you accept the offer they will handle the whole switching process for you and within a few weeks you will switch to your new tariff.

However if you chose to decline the offer you will be given the option to stay in contact and be included in another auction later in the year.

A dedicated helpdesk is available to handle all your enquiries via their online contact form or over the phone, and they are also on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Solar Together

Solar Together London is a collective purchasing approach to increase domestic rooftop solar in London, in support of the Mayor of London’s Solar Action Plan.

This form of collective purchasing aims to reduce costs, guarantee quality and take the hassle out of buying solar panels for Londoners.

Households and small businesses across London can register their interest in having high quality solar photovoltaic panels (PV) on their roofs to generate electricity.

There is also the opportunity to have electric vehicle charging points and battery storage – helping you capture energy when it’s being generated and use it later.

Registration is free and does not commit you to anything, but the more people that register, the better the deal for each household. 

Go to the Solar Together London website to register

How can you reduce your energy bills while helping with climate change?

• Radiator bleeding - As temperatures start to drop, don't forget to check that water is flowing through your radiators properly. When the heating is on, touch to check the heat of the top and bottom of your radiator. If the top is cool and the bottom is warm, you may need to bleed your radiator.  You can find out how to do this on google.
• Christmas lights – No Christmas tree is complete without all the decorations and lights, but remember LED lights use 90% less energy than conventional ones. Remember to turn the lights off before you go to bed or even set them on timers.
• Turn down – Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature, typically between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius. Even if it’s cold outside you do not need to turn your thermostat up, the house will heat up to the temperature set. Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F.
• Lights - Use energy saving light-bulbs, they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs and using one can save you around £55 over the lifetime of the bulb. Remember to always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
• Appliances - Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily. Leaving plugs switched on still uses energy even if the phone is not attached!
• Water efficiency - Only boil as much water as you need. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they are fully turned off.
• Energy efficiency - If possible, fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher - one full load uses less energy than two half loads. If you have a programmer, set your heating and hot water to come on only when required rather than all the time.