Bristol Energy turns to the ‘fuel good’ factor

Bristol Energy has launched a new initiative to help tackle fuel poverty.

The Bristol City Council-owned gas and electricity supplier has set up the ‘Fuel Good Fund’ to support families across the city who are most at risk.

The company will donate £15 into the fund whenever someone with a Bristol postcode switches to the supplier between now and the end of April.

The fund will support a variety of initiatives, such as helping Bristol residents who are struggling with high fuel bills, and cold, damp homes.

The support ranges from boiler repairs to draught-proofing, money advice to simply fitting a decent pair of curtains to keep out the cold.

It is estimated that more than four million households in the UK live in fuel poverty.

And according to research by National Energy Action and the climate change charity E3G, the UK has the second-worst rate of excess winter deaths in Europe.

‘We offer the fairest energy prices we can, but cheap energy bills alone will not help people out of fuel poverty,’ said Bristol Energy’s managing director, Peter Haigh.

‘Too many people are living in homes that are putting their family’s health at risk. This new fund will help people access simple home improvements that could be life changing.’

Bristol Energy and the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) will also be holding energy efficiency events across the city this year, showing people how to make simple changes to reduce their energy bills.

Lisa Evans, who leads the WHAM project for CSE, commented: ‘We regularly meet people who are feeling the full impact of fuel poverty. A few years ago we visited mother of two severely asthmatic children who was so fed up with the mould covering the inside of her home she had painted the walls black, so she was spared the misery of looking at it.

‘In cases like these you don’t need to know the statistics to understand how much cold homes can impact people’s health and wellbeing. We want to make sure no Bristol resident suffers a cold home. Bristol Energy’s new fund will help support this mission.’

To find out more, visit: www.bristol-energy.co.uk