Posted on Wednesday 23rd December 2020
Shelley Bennett who lives on the street
Families in Tamworth are looking forward to a cosier Christmas this year thanks to the installation of gas central heating in their homes.
Over 30 homes in Willowbank in Tamworth have been connected to gas for the first time, and have had central heating installed at no cost.
The families have all been able to benefit from the Staffordshire Warmer Homes scheme being delivered by Staffordshire County Council, in partnership with E.ON, and local district and borough councils.
Shelley Bennett who lives on the street said:
“Having gas central heating in the house has made a huge difference to our home. Nobody likes the coldness of winter but having a warm home makes it a lot more tolerable.
“Getting the new system in also didn’t cost us anything which was even better. It wasn’t even that complicated to apply for and the job was done in more or less one day. I’d urge others to see if they’re eligible, it’s a great scheme.”
Violet and Alan Clarke also live on the street and added:
“The whole process was really easy and the company who did it did a good job. They did the work over a couple of days. It’s amazing being able to switch on the central heating now and have instant heat and hot water. Our old system of storage heaters wasn’t as good. I’m looking forward to winter now that we have the new heating in place.”
The £6.6m scheme, which launched in June 2019, has already supported over 200 homes to get brand new free central heating systems. In addition to this, eligible families can also access other energy saving measures like home insulation and solar panels as well as advice on appropriate access to benefits.
Dr Johnny McMahon, Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Wellbeing at Staffordshire County Council said:
“We’ve been really pleased with the success of the initiative since it launched back in 2019 and with the amount of families who have benefited from it.
“This is another real success story. For the families in Willowbank the scheme has come just at the right time, just before winter and the colder weather. Having the gas central heating means they can now look forward to a cosier Christmas.”
Johnny added:
“In addition to installing gas central heating, we can also help people with other energy saving advice and solutions like solar heating panels, and home insolation measures. Being in a cold environment can put older and more vulnerable people and children at risk, so I’d urge people to check out the scheme and see if they are eligible.”
For eligible households living in rural locations, the scheme can now also provide free ‘air source heat pumps. This system is almost like a fan that sits on the outside of the house and converts the cold air into hot air, and heats the home through radiators.
People can find out more about the scheme and the wider support available at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/warmerhomes, call E.ON on 03332024481 to find about more and apply.