With temperatures in our area dipping, residents wanting to reduce their bills or insulate their homes will be able to get guidance from trained energy experts at a monthly pop-up event in Bath.
Starting this week, staff from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) will be manning a stall outside Bath Central Library on the first Wednesday of every month
The Centre for Sustainable Energy, based in Bristol, is a national charity supporting people and organisations across the UK to tackle the climate emergency and end the suffering caused by cold homes. Their Home Energy Team provides residents in B&NES with free, local and impartial energy advice.
The CSE staff can answer questions and provide information about saving energy in the home, keeping warm in winter and lowering fuel bills. They can also explain how to adjust your thermostat, the best way to use electric storage heaters or how to draught proof or insulate your home.
Residents can also get help managing their gas and electricity bills and find out about any financial assistance which may be available. Residents on low incomes can find out if they are eligible for energy related home improvement grant schemes such as Bright Green Homes, which could fund the installation of insulation, glazing, heat pumps or solar panels.
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children and Young People and Communities, said: “Bath Central Library is delighted to be able to host the Centre for Sustainable Energy on a regular basis in the Podium. The pop-up stall will allow residents to get face-to-face advice specific to their situation. This is a great addition to the range of support on offer by the council and partners through the cost of living support pages on the council’s website.”
Jo Salisbury of the Centre for Sustainable Energy said: “Every day, our energy advisors speak to people struggling with energy bills, expensive heating systems, or in cold and draughty homes.
“Everyone has seen a huge increase in their energy bills. And with the wider cost of living crisis, demand for our services is up fourfold. We’re hearing from more and more people worried about turning on their heating because they simply can’t afford it. It’s not right that people are living in cold, uncomfortable homes and avoiding using energy and it’s great to have a regular place in Bath where people can come for support.”
The CES stall will be in place on the first Wednesday of every month starting from 7 December, at the top of the stairs in the Podium, from 11am to 2pm.
Further information on can be found on the CSE website, which contains plenty of information about saving energy around the home.
Residents unable to visit the pop-up stall can call the CSE freephone home energy advice line for help on 0800 082 2234, or email info@cse.org.uk.
The council’s Energy at Home website has information on energy related home improvement grant schemes for B&NES residents on low incomes.
