Warm Wales

A PIONEERING project launched by Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes at a Wales & West Housing Association (WWHA) retirement scheme to help tackle the issue of fuel poverty has been given the ‘thumbs up’ by First Minister, Carwyn Jones.

The project, at The Beeches retirement complex in Bridgend, is the result of a partnership between Warm Wales, WWHA and Wales and West Utilities Ltd (WWU) kicks off the fuel poor initiative which is to be rolled out across Wales.

“I am delighted that this scheme to bring cost effective warmth to those who live at The Beeches in Bridgend has been so successful,” said Mr Jones, AM for Bridgend.

“I understand this is the first such project in Wales and I am really pleased that I was able to help the residents in kick-starting the project.”

Phil Roberts, Chief Executive of Warm Wales said: “We are delighted that Ofgem and Wales & West Utilities have forged these arrangements for households in Wales and the South West of England.  We believe that the arrangements will provide the missing link in the funding chain for many families.   Householders have nothing to lose and may discover they have much to gain by taking a few minutes to reply to us.”

Graham Edwards, WWU’s Chief Executive, said: “This is a positive step forward in addressing the issue of fuel poverty and we are delighted to have worked with Warm Wales and Wales & West Housing Association in ensuring that this local retirement complex is one of the first to benefit from the scheme.”

The fuel poor scheme, to extend WWU’s gas network to fuel poor communities and individuals who have previously not been able to benefit from a connection to gas mains, comes after agreement with industry regulator, Ofgem.  Warm Wales will be working with WWU to help to deliver the initiative.

Warm Wales is responsible for evaluating applications against criteria set by the regulator.   They may also be able to identify additional help for those who might not be aware of the opportunities available for heating, home energy saving and support.

The project involved making a gas connection to the scheme (from the mains gas supply in the main road passing in front of the scheme), removing electric storage heaters and hot water cylinders and replacing them with new energy efficient, combination & condensing boilers and new central heating systems.  These are fitted with thermostatic radiator control valves, timer s and programmers. The boilers allow for separate temperature control of the heating and hot water temperatures.  The programmer is designed for use by people with impaired sight.

Warm Wales was able to bring together a package of funding and work with the key partners to make the project happen. The gas work (service connections and pipes) would normally cost just over £30,000 but was 100% funded from the new grant scheme offered by WWU. Residents qualified for grant aid on grounds of either age or benefits received.  Further grants reduced the cost of the new heating systems. Warm Wales made the gas connection grant arrangements on behalf of WWHA, as WWU ‘community interest’ partner, and introduced WWHA to other grant opportunities to cut the cost of installing the new heating.

The work was completed quickly, within a few weeks.  A formal opening took place at which First Minster Carwyn Jones AM and all the project partners celebrated with the residents. The reaction of The Beeches residents has been really positive.

What makes Warm Wales different?

Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes is a registered Community Interest Company and operates on a ‘not for profit’ basis.   It reinvests its business savings n the projects it carries out within the communities where it works to bring a legacy of positive achievement.  It offers consultancy, project management and funding maximization services. Warm Wales believes it is the only organisation offering this unique blend of knowledge, expertise and access to funding to the social housing sector in Wales.

Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes is able to carry out similar projects across Wales, putting together a package of grant aid and bringing together the right partners.  If you’d like more information on the project or want to know how Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes might be able to help you call 01639 825960, visit www.warmwales.org.uk or email enquiries@warmwales.org.uk

A joint Warm Wales-Charter bid for £1.6m ‘Arbed’ grant funding to carry out energy efficiency improvements to properties in Markham village has been approved by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The £1.6m Arbed grant will help to fund a £2.3m programme of energy efficiency improvements to both Charter’s 124 homes and other private/public sector housing in Markham. Proposed Arbed measures include cavity insulation, insulated external render, solar hot water and photovoltaic panels. Additional funding is being sought by Warm Wales and NPower from the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) to pay for other measures, including home energy assessment surveys, loft insulation, new gas connections and central heating systems for solid fuel properties, upgrades for existing heating systems, and real time energy use display units.

The Markham project will run from April 2010 to March 2011, The project is also seeking to create training and employment opportunities for local people, including three Community Energy Wardens, funded via the Future Jobs Fund.

‘Arbed’ (meaning ‘Save’) is a £30 million fund sourced primarily from the Strategic Capital Investment Fund (SCIF) and the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (the initiative is also known as the ‘Strategic Energy Performance Investment Programme’). Phase 1 of Arbed is focused specifically on energy efficiency improvements to homes in economically deprived communities within the Heads of Valleys area.

Key facts:

• Total properties in Markham: 624
• Total number of proposed measures: 2,154
• Total cost of programme: £2,320,598
• Total Arbed funding granted: £1,600,000
• Additional funding from Community Energy Savings Partnership (CESP), Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), and Charter contribution.
• Total potential energy bill savings to homes in Markham: £169,129 per annum
• Lifetime CO2 saving as a result of improvements to homes in Markham: 24,738 tonne

BRE Wales and Warm Wales-Cymru Gynnes are working together to deliver a one stop shop solution for the delivery of the Code for Sustainable Homes and Sustainable Refurbishment.

Both Companies are ‘not for profit’ organisations with no shareholders. ‘Surpluses’ generated by BRE companies go into research and education projects in the built environment, whilst those generated by Warm Wales-Cymru Gynnes are reinvested into the communities it serves.

Working together, BRE and Warm Wales-Cymru Gynnes, are uniquely able to offer consultancy, guidance and confidence to deliver high level sustainability in an affordable and easily replicable way.

For further information, download the Refurbishment and Code for Sustainable Homes solutions from BRE & Warm Wales pdf