The Association is pleased to announce that we have, once again, obtained funding through the Social Housing Fuel Support Fund to enable Clydesdale Housing Association to pay £200 directly to your energy supplier on your behalf. This is an increase of £30, on the last two previous payments we have made.
This free £200 payment is available to all Clydesdale Housing Association tenants – the only qualification criteria is that you need to be renting a home from us. Please note, no cash sums are available – the heating vouchers must be paid directly to your energy supplier.
As before, we have partnered with the Home Energy Action Team (HEAT), who are part of the Wise Group (visit https://www.thewisegroup.co.uk/energy-advice/ for more information on what they do). HEAT will administer the vouchers on our behalf and make sure they are paid to your energy supplier.
We hope to start making the payments, via HEAT, from 1st February 2023. To receive the payment, the Association needs to make a referral on your behalf. Therefore, a member of the Association’s staff will contact you in the new year to complete the referral form. We will use the telephone numbers that we have on file for you, so if these have changed recently, please let us know. During this call we will ask you for certain information that will make it easier for the HEAT Team to get the voucher to your energy supplier. Please look out the following information and have it to hand for when we call you:
- Your email address (if you have one).
- The name of your energy supplier(s) – if you are unsure of this, you can look this up at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/connections-and-moving-home/who-my-gas-or-electricity-supplier ;
- The type of energy meters in your home – these will be one of the following for each fuel type: prepayment (either key or card) or non-prepayment.
We are immensely proud, that over the past year, we have managed to source £540 in total for each of our tenants, to assist with their energy bills.
We are also in the process of securing an Energy Advisor who will be available to give advice and information to assist with any concerns that you may have in relation to your current energy costs. More information regarding this will be sent out in the new year.
Heat Belts
The National Lottery Community Fund has generously awarded us funding to provide Infrared Heat-Pads to tenants who are 67 years of age and older. We hope this will be a practical gift to help tenants in the colder months. The heat pads are manufactured by ‘Feel the Warmth Scotland’ who are based in Carluke. The heat pads will be posted out in stages, beginning in January, with the aim of them being delivered by the end of February at the latest.
Infrared Heat Pad Benefits:
- When fully charged the heat pad can run for 200 hours and will cost 50p.
- Long lasting pain relief.
- Reduction of arthritis pain.
- Increases blood circulation and aids recovery.
- Improves range of motion.
- Cannot burn you – very safe!
We will also be hosting an energy efficiency workshop at our Community Hub in Lanark in the new year. The workshop will be free of charge and will aim to show tenants how to get the most out of their heat pads and how to save money and energy throughout the colder months. Everyone is welcome to attend.
We are a now working in partnership with the Fuel Bank Foundation to provide support to our tenants in fuel crisis.
