Warm Homes Oldham changes lives
May Bradford (86), from Chadderton
Reporter: Allan Roach
Summer is around the corner but the award-winning Warm Homes Oldham scheme is still helping residents to save money on their energy bill.
Oldhamers can receive energy advice, help in switching tariffs and support with debts and benefits.
Donna (49), from Chadderton, says the Warm Homes Oldham scheme has completely changed her life and left her feeling “like she’d won the lottery”.
She was suffering with a variety of health problems, struggling to heat her home and relying on family to support her. After receiving a Warm Homes Oldham flyer through the post, Donna contacted the team to see if they could help her.
The team fitted some energy saving measures in her home, and helped her to switch to a cheaper energy tariff, saving £245 a year on her gas and electric bills. They also made applications on her behalf to charitable trust funds for a new energy efficient cooker and a freezer.
They also referred Donna to a specialist team who helped her reapply for a rejected Personal Independence Payment (PIP) application and further benefits she was entitled to. She’s now receiving an additional £181.70 per week which means she can keep her home warm and stay well.
Donna said: “This has totally changed my life. I was really struggling and it was really getting me down. My family were helping me but there was only so long I could let them do that for me.
“The Warm Homes Oldham team were absolutely brilliant and I’d recommend anyone in the position I was in to pick up the phone.”
May Bradford (86) lives on her own in Chadderton, she suffers from poor hearing and eyesight.
Mrs Bradford’s boiler was no longer working and beyond repair but she could not afford to replace it. Warm Homes Oldham successfully applied for a grant for a new boiler from a charitable trust and Mrs Bradford is now waiting for it to be fitted.
With their help she also switched to a different energy tariff and will save £230 a year and the team also fitted useful measures, such as radiator foils, to help her save further on energy costs.
Mrs Bradford said: “When you’re in your 80s you don’t have an awful lot left to put everything right.
“I’ve already seen a real difference and I think it is a great scheme. I would really recommend that people get in touch if they are struggling.”
Helen Lockwood, Executive Director of Economy and skills at Oldham Council, said: “Our fantastic Warm Homes Oldham scheme continues to win national awards for its innovative work.
“Stories like Donna’s and May’s are precisely why we are very proud of this remarkable scheme – it genuinely changes lives.
“Even though it’s getting warm outside now, it’s never a bad time to save money on your energy bill or to prepare for next winter.
“Warm Homes Oldham is at hand to offer advice on how to reduce energy use around the home and use heating controls effectively. There is also support available with switching energy tariff, maximising income, claiming benefit entitlements and getting out of fuel debt.”
For more information about Warm Homes Oldham, or to book a free, no obligation survey, visit www.warmhomesoldham.org or call 0800 019 1084.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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