Living in a cold damp home negatively impacts physical and mental health. Scottish Government analysis has shown that it’s 15% more likely for someone living in an energy inefficient household experiencing fuel poverty to have a long-term illness or disability than someone not in fuel poverty. It’s crucial that we bridge the gap in health outcomes related to fuel poverty, and the current Scottish Government strategy sets out how important community link workers are to achieving this by 2040.
Home Energy Scotland is the Scottish Government’s free and impartial energy advice service, partnering with community link workers and other non-profit services to tackle fuel poverty. Below we’ve highlighted our support for households, and how community link workers can benefit from our referral portal and range of partnership opportunities.
What does Home Energy Scotland do?
Home Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Energy Saving Trust, offering a range of services designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. These services include energy advice, funding options, and personalised support through Energycarers. Read on to find out how each service can specifically help community link workers tackle health inequality.
Energy advice and behaviour change
Home Energy Scotland offers expert energy advice, guiding households on how to reduce energy consumption and adopt sustainable practices. This advice can lead to significant behaviour changes that not only save money but also improve the quality of life and health of individuals. This could include simple tips on thermostat settings, efficient use of appliances, and how reducing heat loss can make a substantial difference in both energy bills and comfort levels. Effective use of heating and ventilation systems can also combat issues like the build-up of damp and mould in the home, which can significantly impact health and wellbeing.
Funding options
Home Energy Scotland provides access to several funding programmes offering financial assistance for home energy efficiency improvements. Warmer Homes Scotland is available for both private tenants and homeowners and can only be accessed via Home Energy Scotland, while the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan is available to homeowners. By referring households to Home Energy Scotland for us to check eligibility and refer onto these programmes, community link workers will be helping households access critical resources to create a more energy-efficient, warmer and healthier home environment.
A Warmer Homes Scotland installation could be worth up to £10,000 or more and might include loft insulation, a boiler replacement and draught-proofing, resulting in significant cost savings and enhanced living conditions.
Energycarer support
For the most vulnerable households, Home Energy Scotland provides additional support through Energycarers. These professionals work directly with individuals to ensure they receive comprehensive assistance, from understanding their energy bills to implementing energy-saving measures. They can even provide step-by-step support with Home Energy Scotland related funding applications, like Warmer Homes Scotland. Where we identify that a householder requires Energycarer support, this work can complement the efforts of community link workers by ensuring that the most vulnerable households they refer to us receive continuous and tailored support.
Strengthening partnerships with Home Energy Scotland
Effective collaboration between Home Energy Scotland and community link workers is essential to maximise the impact of these services. Here are three ways that Home Energy Scotland’s partnership team can support community link workers:
Home Energy Scotland Referral Portal
The Home Energy Scotland Referral Portal is a powerful tool for our partners, enabling them to refer households quickly and efficiently. The portal not only facilitates referrals but also provides outcome reports, helping our partners track the progress and impact of their referrals. This continuity is incredibly beneficial for community link workers in maintaining relationships with referred households, while the reports also demonstrate the value of their work to funders.
Workshops and training
Home Energy Scotland offers free workshops and training for employees and community groups via eLearning, in-person and online training options.
These workshops will help your team or supported households with lowering energy bills and carbon footprint and saving water at home.
For voluntary sector organisations, community groups or other non-profit services, we offer training on providing basic energy advice to clients and making referrals to Home Energy Scotland.
Energy advice pop-up stalls
Home Energy Scotland can organise pop-up stalls at various events and clinics, providing on-the-spot energy advice to individuals. These stalls can be an excellent way for community link workers to introduce people to Home Energy Scotland’s services and provide immediate assistance.
Link up with Home Energy Scotland
By leveraging Home Energy Scotland’s services, community link workers can make a tangible difference in the lives of those experiencing fuel poverty. Improved energy efficiency not only leads to financial savings, but also significantly enhances health and wellbeing. We encourage all community link worker teams to embrace their unique position in tackling fuel poverty and creating healthier homes by using the Home Energy Scotland Referral Portal and explore the full range of partnership support options available.
To get started, email the partnerships team at hes_partnerships@est.org.uk to gain access to the referral portal and the full range of other partnership support options.
We also encourage you to sign up for the Home Energy Scotland partnership newsletter to receive updates on latest services and energy-related news. Together, we can create warmer, healthier homes across Scotland.
