Groundwork's energy saving Green Doctors are coming to Norwich!
Residents in Norwich will now have access to free energy saving advice and support from Groundwork’s Green Doctors.
Thanks to funding from the Cadent Foundation through the Stay Warm, Stay Well programme, community and environment charity, Groundwork East will launch a new service for people struggling with energy bills in the city.
Groundwork Green Doctors are energy efficiency experts who provide one-to-one support to individuals and households experiencing fuel poverty by offering practical guidance on energy saving, behaviour change tips and referrals to other local support services, including debt advice and food banks.
Norwich City Council are supporting the service with referrals, promotion and by helping to spread the word to residents.
The service is subject to eligibility with help available to those who are:
- Struggling to pay energy bills
- Finding it hard to manage fuel debt
- Getting confused by energy bills
- Owing money to energy suppliers
- Using alternative methods to stay warm – such as staying in bed or wearing lots of clothes indoors
- Worrying about keeping warm or choosing between eating and heating
- Feeling that the home is cold, damp, mouldy or draughty
- Respiratory problems e.g. asthma or a persistent cough
As a result of increases to energy and water costs, coupled with the cost of living crisis, more people than ever are experiencing fuel poverty with households having to choose between heating and eating. The Green Doctor service provides tailored advice and practical low-cost energy saving measures based on an individual’s needs. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, and we can identify improvements to keep residents warm and bring monthly costs down
Andy Johnson, Green Doctor
With six million people in the UK living in fuel poverty the need for personalised energy saving advice and guidance is critical. Over the last three years we’ve seen the huge impact Groundwork’s Green Doctors have on people’s lives and our new Stay Warm, Stay Well project will provide much needed help for thousands of vulnerable households struggling to keep their home warm
Ranjit Blythe, Managing Director of the Cadent Foundation
Across the UK, Green Doctors made more than 35,000 visits to people’s homes last year. Collectively, these visits identified potential savings of £5 million. In addition, they were able to secure more than £350,000 in emergency energy top-ups for the people they visited.