This week is Energy Saving Week, during which people across the UK will be encouraged to take steps to save energy – and money into the bargain.

Among the areas of focus throughout the week will be measures to create warmer homes. In the same way as much of the body heat escapes from a person’s head, a large amount of the heat in your home escapes through the roof and walls. This releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

Many homes across the country have poorly-insulated, badly maintained roofs. In winter, when snow falls, such properties can be identified from the street as heat escapes to melt snow and icicles more quickly.

In Bradford, however, this sight is becoming less common, thanks to a successful scheme.

A year ago, Bradford Council, npower and the renewable energy supplier Eaga, joined forces in a project to help local householders keep their homes warm and save on their energy bills.

So far, more than 32,500 homes have benefited from the district-wide Community Warmth scheme. It provides, where practically possible, free cavity wall insulation to qualifying residents living in their own homes or renting from a private landlord. It also gives free loft insulation to households whose residents are aged 60 or over, living in suitable private sector homes.

The scheme also offers a free home energy survey by a qualified surveyor, and will point people in the direction of several other helpful agencies such as the Government-backed Warm Front scheme, where qualifying households can claim grants towards boiler replacement or central heating.

“We are working district by district and try to cover one ward every month, surveying properties,” says Pete Betts, strategic information and support officer with Bradford Council, who wrote the district’s affordable warmth strategy and who describes the scheme as a “trailblazer.”

Out of 170,000 households earmarked to visit, the team has so far knocked on 32,424 doors and carried out 20,264 surveys. Out of these, 7,724 measures were identified – 3,780 loft insulation and 3,944 cavity walls.

The loft insulation work will save approximately 2,431 tonnes of carbon from escaping into the atmosphere, while around 3,391 tonnes will be saved through the cavity wall measures.

The scheme, which ends in 2011, fits in with the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, which came into effect last year, obliging electricity and gas suppliers in the UK to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from homes.

Energy suppliers will be obliged to promote schemes that improve energy efficiency, such as loft and wall insulation and increase the amount of energy generated for renewable technologies, such as wind turbines, solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

Home insulation is the single most effective method of saving money on domestic energy bills, typically cutting around £275 off the annual bill. In Bradford, the scheme has so far helped people save more than £250,000.

Installing loft insulation will reduce a household’s annual fuel bill by around £200 every year, while cavity wall insulation will shave off £160.

“These savings will help a great many residents, which is particularly helpful during these difficult economic times,” says Councillor Adrian Naylor, executive member for regeneration.

Hazel Simmons, who lives in Ilkley, is among those whose homes have been insulated. “We had cavity wall insulation and they made a great job of it,” she says. “We had it done in autumn last year and the house definitely felt warmer throughout winter.”

She is delighted to be saving on heating costs, and helping the environment. “We definitely didn’t put the heating on as soon as we would have before we got the insulation. I think all measures like this are important. We all like to do our bit to be green.”

She adds: “It is a brilliant scheme – hats off to Bradford for doing it.”

Community Warmth co-ordinator Simon Tau, who introduced the scheme to Bradford Council, is delighted by its success. “We wanted to tackle energy efficiency, which has a direct impact upon climate change and fuel poverty – they were the two main drivers.”

The scheme has been such a success it has been highlighted as an example of good practice by the Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Samantha Smith, community initiatives project manager with Npower, says: “The scheme is not only designed to help vulnerable households but also aims to help all the residents of Bradford by working with other partners to offer a range of services.”

Factfile

  • People in owner-occupied or private rented accommodation can qualify for suitable free measures if they fall into one of the following categories: – Residents on qualifying benefits.

– Residents aged 60 or over. People living in council tax band A and B properties will also be entitled to free cavity wall insulation where technically feasible. Subsidies are available for householders who do not qualify under the scheme.

  • If you are interested in the scheme, ring the Community Warmth freephone number (0800 6940418) or visit bradford.gov.uk or warmfront.co.uk
  • Further information is available from the Energy Saving Trust at energysavingtrust.org, or call 0800 512012 for free advice.