The Meadows Partnership Trust won funding from the Scottish Power Energy Peoples Trust to run a fuel savers project in The Meadows for 18 months.

The project has now come to an end, but was a very successfull project giving Meadows Residents practical help and advice on saving energy, heating their homes and also those who struggled to pay their energy bills.

In the UK, fuel poverty is said to occur when, in order to heat their home to an adequate standard of warmth, a household needs to spend more than 10% of its income on total fuel use. One of the key causes of fuel poverty is high energy prices. Average domestic fuel bills have increased by 125% over the past five years! The most effective way of combating fuel poverty is to target energy efficiency measures on homes typically occupied by those on low incomes.

As part of the project, we offered a number of things, including:

• Free comprehensive in-house energy assessments and advice on reducing bills and existing debt
• Help with switching to cheaper energy suppliers
• An interest free green loans scheme for Meadows residents wanting to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes; anything from an A plus rated domestic appliance, to a push bike, to a full solar PV system on your roof or double glazing.
• FREE or discounted (£49 per measure) fully installed loft and cavity wall insulation; plus heating improvements through the Nottingham Warm Zone. Plus, help with other grants and funding available for residents.