“One free phone call is gateway to reduce heating bills and keep your home warm” - Aberfan meeting is told

27 March 2007

At a presentation in the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre on Monday 26th March, Vance Duhaney of the Home Heat Helpline told local residents and representatives from Communities First that a wide range of advice on reducing heating bills and accessing grants to insulate your home is available by calling the free helpline.

Mr Duhaney said: “The Helpline is the only service for all customers who have difficulties with heating their homes or paying for their energy bills no matter who their energy supplier is.”

By ringing the free phone number 0800 33 66 99, callers can talk to the Helpline’s specialist advisers and get help on issues as varied as:
• The lowest tariff for you and your family
• A benefits health check to make sure you are getting all the income you are entitled to
• Joining the Priority Service Register which allows many customers on benefits to get extra services such as free annual gas safety check of all gas appliances
• Accessing grants to insulate your home or replace your heating system through Government schemes or through your energy supplier.

Mr Duhaney explained that “Once callers phone this number it acts as a free gateway to making the arrangements for reducing their bills in the short term and making their home warmer and more energy efficient. Anyone who is worried about their electricity or gas bills can ring this number and get the bill checked.”

Mr Duhaney added: “People who do not have a phone at home can ask a relative or a Communities First office to phone the Helpline on their behalf.”

The meeting was organised by Huw Lewis AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Valley. Mr Lewis said:
“The Home Heat Helpline is a very useful resource to help people increase their available income by reducing money they may be paying unnecessarily for their gas or electricity bills. It is good that by ringing the Helpline people can make sure they are on the lowest cost tariff for themselves. The Helpline also refers people who are eligible to the wide range of grants made available by the Welsh Assembly Government for central heating, insulation and other energy efficiency measures.”

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The Home Heat Helpline - 0800 33 66 99 - is free of charge for all callers and is funded by Britain’s energy suppliers. It operates on Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 8pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. All residents of the UK are entitled to ring the Helpline. Calls can be taken in English or Welsh.

ENDS

For further information:

In Wales:
Mari James
Email: homeheathelpline@m-j-associates.com
Tel: 029 20 504883

In London:
Oliver Wright
Email: oliver.wright@energy-retail.org.uk
Tel: 020 7747 5436

Notes to Editors:

1. The Home Heat Helpline (0800 33 66 99) operates from Monday to Friday 9am-8pm and from 10am-2pm on Saturday. There is a free minicom number for deaf users (0800 027 2122), and the Helpline also has access to interpreters for those callers whose first language is not English. www.homeheathelpline.org

2. The Helpline is operated by The essentiagroup and is staffed by expert advisers, including former health professionals, who are trained to give advice on how to stay warm during the cold weather. They are also trained and authorised to deal with intermediaries calling on behalf of vulnerable customers, such as friends, carers, social workers or health visitors

3. The Energy Retail Association was established in October 2003 and is the only dedicated trade association for domestic energy suppliers in the UK. More information can be found at www.energy-retail.org.uk

4. The Home Heat Helpline, launched in October 2005, is a free service for all British citizens and is funded by Britain’s six major energy suppliers. It is the only telephone helpline service that aims to tackle fuel poverty. The energy suppliers spent £300 million between 2002 – 2005 on tackling fuel poverty and have committed to spend a further £700 million over the next 3 years on this important issue.