Housing

Energy Efficiency and Advice

Newport City Council is taking a number of actions to ensure the city is energy efficient, makes an appropriate contribution to reducing Wales’ carbon footprint and reduces the number of households in fuel poverty.

Average fuel bills in Wales are rising leaving some of the most vulnerable people in Newport struggling to keep their homes including the elderly, disabled and those with young children.

Fuel poverty

A household is defined as being fuel poor if it has to spend 10% or more of its income on paying to keep the home adequately warm.

According to Newport City Council’s Private Sector Stock Condition Survey 2008 approximately 12% of households in Newport and 1 in 5 households in Wales are affected.

The Welsh Government’s 2008 Living in Wales Survey (opens new website) estimated that 332,000 households in Wales were fuel poor, equivalent to 26 per cent of all households.

This shows an increase of 198,000 households, or 15 percentage points, since 2004, possibly reflecting the impact of rising fuel prices during this period.

Through the Affordable Warmth Strategy, contained in the report The Heat is On (pdf), Newport City Council is actively identifying households in fuel poverty, raising awareness and co-ordinating action to tackle fuel poverty, in line with the actions set out in the Welsh Government’s strategy to eradicate fuel poverty.

Insulation

Arbed Phase One

Newport City Council has secured up to £1,288,000 from the Welsh Government’s Arbed Phase One (opens new website) scheme to help improve the energy performance of hard to insulate properties in the city.

The scheme is aimed at privately owned homes in designated areas of the Bettws and Ringland wards, chosen due to high levels of fuel poverty and the number of non-traditional build houses.

Arbed Phase Two

Newport City Council has bid for funding from the Welsh Government for the second phase of the Arbed scheme and a decision is expected by April 2012.

Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP)

Newport City Council, the South East Wales Energy Advice Agency and Newport City Homes have secured funding from Scottish and Southern Energy to provide insulation in areas within the Bettws and Ringland wards.

Nest Scheme

The Nest scheme, which is managed by British Gas, aims to help reduce the number of households across Wales in fuel poverty and make Welsh homes warmer and more fuel-efficient places to live.

Their advisors will be able to give advice on whether people are eligible to receive home improvements at no cost, to help make their homes warmer and make energy bills more affordable. They will also be able to advise on:

If households are entitled to benefits to boost their income
Saving energy
Money management
Making sure they’re on the best fuel tariff

For further information telephone 0808 808 2244 or visit the Nest web site

Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)

CERT requires all domestic energy suppliers with more than 250,000 customers to make savings in the amount of CO2 emitted by householders.

Suppliers do this by promoting free or low cost loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, tank jackets and draught proofing to householders.

Visit the South East Wales Energy Advice Agency website for further information.

Solar PV and the ‘Feed in Tariff’

Newport City Council works with the South East Wales Energy Agency to reduce fuel poverty and the carbon footprint of residents’ homes as part of the commitment under the Affordable Warmth Strategy.

The council has arranged a new scheme which will allow private homes to benefit from new Solar Photovoltaic (PV) installations without any capital outlay.

The PV systems create sustainable income streams that provide free electricity to the resident while attracting generation and export tariffs from the large power-generators and utility companies to provide a return to investors.

Visit the South East Wales Energy Advice Agency website for further information.