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Energy Saving Week: Why We All Need to Take Action to Tackle Fuel Poverty and Secure a Sustainable Future

Energy saving advice and support may be crucial to help families avoid fuel poverty this winter, according to electricity network operator, Western Power Distribution (WPD).

WPD, which is backing Energy Saving Week (17 – 23 January), supported 24,637 customers to save more than £11.5 million on their household bills in 2021, through its innovative Power Up and Affordable Warmth schemes. And WPD won’t stop there. As part of its ambitious proposals set out in its recently published Business Plan for the five year period 2023-2028, WPD has committed to help a further 113,000 fuel poor customers save up to £60 million on their energy bills. They’ll also help to support over 600,000 customers a year by offering bespoke smart energy actions plans that will ensure customers in vulnerable situations can benefit from low carbon technologies and changes to the electricity grid to enable the UK’s achievement of net zero carbon emissions.

The company recently announced grants of £500,000 from its Community Matters fund to help local organisations deliver energy saving advice and tackle fuel poverty. Recipients include The Big Issue Foundation which was granted £9,417 to expand its energy saving advice activities and expects to help vulnerable families and individuals to save £29,000 in energy costs.

To coincide with Energy Saving Week, WPD is highlighting the importance of simple energy saving tips to help save money on energy bills. These include:

  • Setting timers for heating and hot water so they only come on when needed;
  • Closing curtains and using draught excluders around windows and doors to stop heat escaping;
  • Always turning off lights when leaving a room and not leaving devices on standby or on charge for longer than necessary;
  • Only boiling as much water as is needed and doing a full load when using the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher;
  • Installing a smart meter to help track energy use and identify savings.

WPD has made its own energy efficiencies as part of its ongoing pledge to be a net zero organisation by 2028, 22 years ahead of the UK government’s target.

This includes consistently outperforming its 5% reduction target for building energy use and achieving an annual reduction each year, thanks to greater employee awareness of energy savings, the installation of motion sensors for lighting, upgraded air conditioning systems and higher energy efficiency ratings in new and refurbished depots. All of the energy purchased by WPD is produced entirely from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.

Alison Sleightholm, WPD’s Resources & External Affairs Director, said: “At WPD, we take our responsibility to our customers and to the environment extremely seriously.

“This Energy Saving Week, we want to support more customers than ever to make energy savings, both to cut their bills and to secure a sustainable future for everyone.”

Energy Saving Week is a national campaign run by Citizens Advice, the Energy Saving Trust and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to help people save energy and cut fuel costs.

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