Act on Energy has been awarded more than £1 million of funding to help people right across the West Midlands region keep warm and well this winter and beyond.

The ‘Warmer Homes West Midlands’ programme will offer advice and support to the most vulnerable residents, through an impartial, free-to-use service that will build on four years of successful delivery; more than 25,000 households have already benefitted from the support.

The programme will improve the health and wellbeing of people living in cold and damp homes with personalised energy advice on the phone and through home visits - as well as installing a range of energy saving measures.

Rachel Jones, Act on Energy’s CEO said “The demand for our support service is unrelenting; the West Midlands region has the highest proportion of fuel poor households in the country and for so many, the energy crisis is definitely not over.

“This additional funding will help to provide much needed support for thousands of people – whether that’s immediate help with their energy bills and debt or longer-term solutions such as energy efficiency measures and advice on using energy more wisely.

“I’d encourage anyone who is struggling or wants further energy related advice to call our freephone helpline 0800 988 2881 or visit our website www.actonenergy.org.uk”.

As well as the freephone helpline, Warmer Homes West Midlands also offers one to one support in the home with household visits made to the most vulnerable, who often have complex needs. The Community Outreach team can also help with budgeting, access to further funding pots and install free energy saving measures such as draught proofing and radiator foils. The team can also access a range of heat-help appliances such as heated blankets and slow cookers.

The award through the Energy Savings Trust is funded by the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme.

Please be aware that the old Warmer Homes West Midlands website has been integrated into the wider Act on Energy website.