Household bills

Our Healthy Homes Service

We can help low income owner occupiers and private tenants make their homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat.

We have a range of schemes and advice, such as:

• Replacement boilers and new gas heating systems.
• Insulation schemes available that help keep your home warmer for longer.
• Information on renewable heating systems for homes that are off the gas network.

If you have a query:

• Email: HealthyHomes@calderdale.gov.uk.
• Phone: (01422) 392199.

Healthy Home Schemes

For scheme details and available financial support for energy efficiency improvement works to your home, see: Healthy Home Schemes.

Calderdale Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

For affordable warmth advice

CAB can help residents with a range of affordable warmth advice for your home.

• If you struggle to heat your home and it is cold and damp, your health is likely to suffer.
• Children who grow up in them are more likely to have health issues when they are older.

They can help with:

• Affordable warmth advice and energy saving tips.
• Ways of saving money around the home.
• How to get a better deal on your energy supply.
• Advice on different energy meters and payment options.
• Maximise income.
• Manage energy debts.
• Apply for more energy services.
• Referrals to our Housing Energy Action Team. (To access grants and equity loans for insulation and heating improvements for your home.)
• Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payment claims.
• The Priority Services Register. This offers support around energy for the vulnerable. (This could be due to age, health or disability.)

To arrange a phone appointment with your local CAB energy advisor:

• Phone: 0808 278 7879.
• Visit: Energy Advice.

Saving Together Project

Our Saving Together Energy Team work in North Halifax and Elland. They help customers with tips and tricks to save money and energy.

They work with as many homes as possible to:

• Find useful ways to lower energy usage.
• Improve energy efficiency comfort and sustainability of people's homes.
• Work with residents on a 121 basis to save energy and money in time for winter.
• Fit low-cost energy saving measures in people's homes.
• Share retrofitting support schemes to improve people's homes and help save energy costs.

Residents can talk to our Energy Officers in person at a community event, on the phone or at home. They will talk you through ways you use energy and how efficient your home is. They will then look at ways you can save money on your bills. This will include: change supplier, reset thermostats and how to understand your bill.

• To refer yourself or someone you know who could benefit from this, visit: Referral form.

Our workshops are also a great way to see how small changes can make a big difference to energy usage. Throughout the year, we will hold workshops about:

• Savvy Shopping.
• Air Frying.
• Energy and Green Cleaning.
• Cost of Living Tips and Tricks.

For event details and to book your place, visit: Newground Together Calderdale.

For more details:

• Email: hello@newground.co.uk.
• Phone: 0300 330 5535.

Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees

Home energy checks for residents aged 65 and over.

A trusted handyperson will visit your home to check how energy efficient it is. They can fit the correct equipment to increase the energy efficiency, such as:

• Energy saving light bulbs.
• Draught excluders.
• Reflective radiator panels.

They can also offer tips to help you keep your fuel bill down.

Get help from your supplier with paying bills

Do you struggle to pay your bills? Contact your supplier and ask for advice on your energy tariff, meters and payment options.

Do you struggle with energy debt because of a sudden change in your life? Your energy supplier may have an energy company trust scheme that you could apply to. This would be to have some or all of the debt repaid.

Yorkshire Water

They have a number of schemes to help people who may struggle to pay their bills or are in debt.

This includes:

• WaterSure

  A bill cap scheme for customers who:

  • have a water meter;
  • and claim an income-based benefit;
  • and need to use extra water because they have a medical condition or three or more children.

• WaterSupport

  A bill cap scheme for low-income households. Customers are likely to be eligible if they have a household income below £19,000.

• Community Trust

  A debt support scheme for customers who have arrears with Yorkshire Water between £50 and £2000 and at least one priority debt.

• Water Direct

  A debt support scheme for customers who receive a deductible income-based benefit. We can take payments directly from benefits.

• Resolve

  A payment matching scheme for customers who are in arrears and struggling to catch up on previous water bills.

For more details of their schemes:

• Phone: 0345 1299 299.
• Visit: Help paying your bill.

Other help

• Keeping children safe and warm (West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership).

  Some top tips to keep children safe and warm in the winter months.

• Energy advice for households (Ofgem).

  A central hub for advice, support and information about energy bills. Includes links to other resources such as the Energy Savings Trust and web pages where you can get financial support.

• Money Helper - How to reduce your energy bills.

  Are you worried about paying your energy bills? Find out what help there is for you.

• Energy Toolkit (Together Housing).

  This has help for you to understand energy bills, tariffs, meter reading, saving energy and how to set your heating. There is also information on financial support and ways to pay energy bills.

• Go Green Together (Together Housing).
• Little Green e-Book (Together Housing).