Energy bill help service

Oxfordshire County Council writes:

Free service supports thousands of residents in Oxfordshire with their home energy.

Residents in Oxfordshire can benefit from the advice and support of Better Housing Better Health, a service that helps those worrying about their home energy to create warmer, healthier and happier homes. Last year, through the service’s free helpline and their free home visit service (BHBH+) – their team of trained advisors helped over 2500 residents with the aim this year to help even more.

The service can help:

• Residents who are finding it hard to understand energy bills, pay for fuel or read meters
• Access funding to replace old and broken heating systems
• Access funding for insulation measures 
• Reduce damp, condensation and mould by better ways of managing a home
• Understand and programme heating controls
• Making onward referrals to additional support services, such as Benefits advice and debt support
• Some residents may be eligible for additional heating support depending on their situation.

To speak to the friendly team, call 0800 107 0044 or visit www.bhbh.org.uk and complete the online referral form or find our e-mail address.

Case Studies

David, from Cherwell, contacted BHBH who offered him a free home energy visit and helped him apply for funding via a grant scheme to insulate his loft and walls. David was fully eligible for loft and cavity wall insulation. David’s friend, Andy gave the following feedback: “We just wanted to express our gratitude to you and your team at the National Energy Foundation (NEF) for the work that you have done to enable the completion of the Loft Insulation and the Cavity Wall Insulation at David’s home. Our gratitude goes right back to the initial meeting with Beata, who represented NEF. I have to say that Beata was particularly knowledgeable, very professional and very efficient, as well as being very easy to deal with”.

Ms W, from West Oxfordshire, contacted BHBH for help with her broken boiler which she couldn’t afford to replace. Ms W suffers from various health conditions including cancer so it was important she stayed warm at home. BHBH helped her apply for a council grant and she was awarded almost £4,000 for a fully funded replacement. “I am writing to thank you so much for organising my new boiler which has now been fitted. I can’t thank you enough. I am so grateful to you.”