Southway Housing Trust Awarded £259,000 for Green Energy Projects

Southway Housing Trust Awarded £259,000 for Green Energy Projects

Southway Housing Trust has been given a grant of £259,000 to invest in a unique Green Energy project in south Manchester.

The grant was awarded by the Energy Redress Scheme, managed by the Energy Saving Trust, which was appointed by Ofgem to distribute payments from energy companies that may have breached rules. Registered charities can apply for funds to deliver energy-related projects that meet the scheme priorities and benefit people in England, Scotland and Wales.

The funding will be used to deliver an “Energy Buddies” scheme; a dedicated team delivering bespoke support to individual households and training frontline staff to be aware of fuel poverty to ensure that everyone can benefit according to need. The aim is to tackle fuel poverty issues and increase energy efficiency for Southway tenants by supporting them to switch to more affordable suppliers and review how energy is used in the home to increase efficiency and save money.

The Southway Energy Buddies project is open to all Southway tenants in nearly 6,000 households across south Manchester and will work with frontline staff within the organisation to provide a more targeted service for our most vulnerable tenants.

 

 

The project objectives are to:

  1. provide bespoke and trusted advice in order to prevent fuel poverty and tackle fuel debt,
  2. support beneficiaries to find and switch to their most advantageous tariff,
  3. support beneficiaries to understand how to save energy and reduce waste and empower vulnerable customers to make decisions about their energy use,
  4. fit micro adaptations and safety features in the case of particularly vulnerable customers
  5. provide training for staff, local stakeholders and volunteers to raise awareness and understanding of fuel debt and sources of support for households suffering its effects
  6. recruit and train peer Energy Buddy volunteers to share experiences, encourage advice take-up and promote carbon literacy within local communities

 

Keep an eye out on our website for further plans we have for green schemes and energy saving.