Our primary aim is to address and reduce levels of fuel poverty in Stoke-on-Trent, delivering the council’s Fuel Poverty Strategy objectives with the help and support of our partners in the Fuel Poverty Action Group. We will seek to develop effective processes and solutions to ensure all residents of the city have access to fuel poverty support and access to affordable, sustainable and reliable energy sources.
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Beat the Cold
- Citizens Advice
- Saltbox
- Groundwork, Green Doctors
- Aspire Housing
- Staffordshire Foundation
- Alice Charity
- National Energy Foundation
Beat the Cold deliver an Energy Advice Service for Stoke-on-Trent City Council. This is a free, independent service for all residents in the city.
Beat the Cold give advice on:
- Paying for fuel
- Finding the best available tariffs
- Switching supplier
- Improving energy efficiency in the home
- Fuel Debt
- Accessing funding available for heating repairs, and replacements
- Register households as priority customers with their energy provider
- Funding available to help with insulation, heating and other energy efficiency measures.
You can get in touch with Beat the Cold by calling 01782 914915, by emailing enquiries@beatcold.org.uk or fill in this form: Personal Details | Fuel Poverty Advice.
Great British Insulation Scheme
Energy Company Obligation (ECO)
The council has a Safe and Warm Home grant scheme to help homeowners with no heating and / or no hot water. Services available are:
- heating repair and / or provision of temporary housing
- replacement boiler / central heating, where the existing system is beyond economic repair
To be eligible for a grant, homeowners need to meet certain criteria related to household income, health, savings and property.
Email to find out more
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Insulation
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- Loft insulation - up to 25% heat loss can be through the roof.
- Cavity wall insulation - up to 35% heat loss can be via uninsulated walls.
- Draughtproof around your doors and windows.
- Use draught excluders against draughty doors to help keep the room warm.
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Lighting
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- Energy efficient light bulbs LED Use up to 80% less electricity than an incandescent bulb and could last up to 10 times longer.
- If you’re not in the room for a while turn out the lights
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Heating
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- Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10% per year.
- Turn your Thermostatic Radiator Values (TRV’s) to 3, this is the equivalent to 20°C, so if a room is warmer than 20°C that radiator will switch off not the heating.
- If you leave doors open then put all the TRV’s on the same number, if you close doors then you can set the TRV’s for each room temp.
- Check your hot water cylinder thermostat is set between 55°C and 60°C
- Heat the rooms which you spend the most time in up to a comfortable temperature
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Turn off lights and TV
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- Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge unnecessarily - you could save up to £50 a year in energy savings!
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Curtains
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- Shut out the dark and keep in the heat, but make sure that you don’t drape your curtains over radiators as this sends heat straight out of your windows.
- Putting curtains on the front and back doors, where appropriate, helps to retain heat and prevent drafts.
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Water Wise
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- Take a shower – it's faster, cheaper, and more energy efficient than heating a bath.
- Put the plug in – running a hot tap costs money and wastes water.
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Cooking
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- Use the right sized pan for the food and the hob ring.
- Keep saucepan lids on to keep in the heat.
- Microwave ovens are often a much more energy efficient way of cooking items than the oven.
- Make toast in the toaster, not under the grill.
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Laundry
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- Run your washing machine on full loads at 30°C where possible.
- Try and do your washing on dry days, so you can hang it outside.
- If you are drying your washing indoors use radiator racks and/or clothes airers, don’t put the washing on the radiators as this will make your boiler work harder and use more energy.
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