Home energy efficiency

Warm and safe Wiltshire

Warm and Safe Wiltshire is a commitment from Wiltshire Council and their partners to help residents live in safer and healthier homes.

The energy advice line for Warm and Safe is provided by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (opens new window) on behalf of Wiltshire Council.

The scheme aims to do this through the installation of draught-proofing measures, smoke alarms to improve fire safety and providing advice on reducing energy use, switching energy suppliers, reducing condensation and damp problems and controlling heating.

Most energy efficiency measures are simple and cheap to implement; in particular improving the insulation to your house. Whether you own or rent your home, there are Government schemes to further reduce the cost, or to pay for this work completely if you are unable to afford the cost of the work yourself.

Fuel poverty

If you struggle to pay your energy bills, especially during winter when having the heating on pushes costs up, you could be one of the millions in the UK trapped in fuel poverty.

People used to be classified as living in fuel poverty if you spent 10% or more of your household income on gas and electricity alone. Following a Government review into this definition commissioned in 2010, fuel poverty is now measured by what is known as 'Low Income High Costs'.

Cold homes cause ill health, misery and social exclusion, problems which are faced by many households in Wiltshire as they struggle to keep warm each winter. People who are vulnerable to health problems linked with cold homes are those with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), babies and children under 5 years of age, people over 65, people with mental health conditions or disabilities and pregnant women.

Contact Warm and Safe Wiltshire advice service (opens new window)

Phone: 0800 038 5722
Email: warmandsafe@cse.org.uk (opens new window)