Printable logo of Vale of White Horse District Council

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

The Vale Energy Team

 Vale Energy Team logo

Vale Energy Team logo

The Vale Energy Team works to reduce fuel poverty and promote energy efficiency to the domestic sector in the Vale of White Horse.  The Vale Energy Team can offer advice in person, by phone, in writing or via e-mail - see the contact details on the right.

  • How to improve the energy efficiency of your home
  • Energy grants and discount schemes
  • Tackling fuel poverty
  • Renewable energy
  • Climate change.

What is Fuel Poverty?

Fuel poverty can be defined as:

“Where a household spends more than 10% of its disposable income, excluding housing costs (rent, mortgage), to achieve a satisfactory level of warmth and comfort. (21oC in the living room and 18oC in other rooms)”

Fuel poverty comes about through the inter-play of the following factors:

  • Energy inefficient (difficult to heat) properties
  • Expensive to run heating systems (expensive fuel or inefficient heating systems or both)
  • Low income.   

Cold homes exacerbate illnesses such as asthma and reduce resistance to respiratory infections. The extra money needed to heat an inefficient property results in an opportunity loss of having to use a larger proportion of income to keep warm, and the extra energy used to heat such homes results in greater emissions of greenhouse gases.  The Vale Affordable Warmth Steering Group aims to tackle fuel poverty in the Vale of White Horse.

The Vale Affordable Warmth Steering Group

The Vale Affordable Warmth Steering Group includes members from the Vale of White Horse District Council, The Vale Housing Association, The Warm Front Team, The South East and South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, Anchor Staying Put, The Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Age Concern and The Thames Valley Energy Centre. The group works to:

  • Tackle fuel poverty in the Vale
  • Draw attention to the importance of energy efficiency and its implications for the health of the vulnerable
  • Increase awareness of the assistance available to those in fuel poverty.

 Vale Affordable Warmth Steering Group

Vale Affordable Warmth Steering Group

Renewable Energy

Solarsavers is an award-winning solar water heating initiative led by the Vale of White Horse District Council and South Oxfordshire District Council and is backed by 14 other Local Authorities across the Thames Valley region.  The scheme is managed by the Thames Valley Energy Centre. Solarsavers assists householders through the process of purchasing a fully installed solar water heating system. 

  • Special discounted prices have been negotiated for householders that apply through the Solarsavers scheme
  • Solarsavers can provide impartial and independent advice
  • Two flat plate companies and two evacuated tube companies have been selected, all of whom are Clear Skies accredited
  • Discounted prices have been negotiated for householders that use the Solarsavers scheme
  • We can provide help and guidance with the £400 Government renewable energy grant from the Low Carbon Building Programme.

Insulation Discount Schemes

All energy utilities are obliged to provide discounted insulation to customers as part of the Energy Efficiency Commitment. The Big Green Insulation Scheme and the HEAT Project are both supported by the Council. Both these schemes provide loft and cavity wall insulation at substantially reduced prices through subsides from energy utility companies.

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