What happens on a Green Doctor visit?

Christian

Well, I think with the cost of living crisis, a lot of households energy bills have skyrocketed, so there has been an increase in fuel poverty in particular, which is having a disproportionate effect on low income households. With the advent of food banks propping up many people in these situations, who can be reliant on these places to even supplement weekly food shopping, fuel costs are also very often a concern. I think we are also seeing a greater need for mental health services alongside this, and as I mentioned earlier, obviously with the explosion of debt, there’s a far greater need for money and debt advice because people are finding themselves with these ballooning energy debts, and it can be a vicious cycle that a lot of people really kind of struggle to escape from.

Terence

A big part of our service is about helping bring about behavioral change, making sure going forward that people do feel a lot more in control of their bills, energy and even water usage. A prime example is the shower, many people are spending far longer in them than they think. So helping people realise where they can think about their water usage and how important it really is.

Terence

So what we initially do, especially on a home visit, is just to make it make sure it’s as energy efficient as possible, making sure the walls, if you have cavity walls, are insulated, and you’ve got the correct levels of insulation in your loft area. We also make sure that there are no draught-proofing issues, through identifying and addressing any heat loss, and where it is coming from. We can directly install some low cost energy and water saving measures within your home. For example, we have low energy light bulbs, and tap aerators or aerated swivel taps, for the kitchen.

We also have, through our funders the Cadent Foundation, our Winter Warmer packs, which can include a hot water bottle, a hat, scarf and some thermal socks.

Through the Charis Group foundation, we can also distribute slow cookers and air fryers in some cases, to help people reduce the energy they use cooking meals, which can be reduced further by batch cooking. We can also distribute as food vouchers and fuel vouchers, if there is a proven need. We can check if residents’ heating systems are adequate as well, and if they are able to use timers and thermostats confidently, aiming to maintain a comfortable temperature of 18-21 degrees, so we also check for measures like thermal curtains. We are also in partnership with Anglian Water, so saving water is also another thing we can help with, and we can check for leaks, including leaky meters, and we can report these, and any other concerns directly back to Anglian Water on residents’ behalf.

Andy

We can help by providing tailored support that’s specific to your home, and every household is different, so it is important we adapt our approach during each visit, in order address the relevant needs of a household, which might be very different to another household. But on a typical visit, we always introduce ourselves and the project, though we will have communicated with residents prior to a visit over the phone or by email, but we like to really open up a discussion about what issues are most pressing for the resident at that time.

In some cases it might be energy prices, or it could be a debt issue, or for others it might be a draughty room, or it may be a resident’s house is very old, which might be costing a lot to heat.

So once we have a picture of the most pressing issues, we move on to installing any measures we have, whether that’s to address damp or mold issues through using dehumidifiers, or addressing heat loss through draught proofing, or other measures like radiator panels, which can increase efficiency.

We can also help look into any other grants or support that you might be eligible for, and within that we have a referral process, so if we identify that a resident needs further support in an area outside of our direct role, so help with a PIP (Personal Independence Payment) application, we can refer, or signpost you, to an appropriate organisation that can help.

Christian

As you can see there are a number of ways that we can help. From the energy efficiency advice, which the main tenant of the service, we are often, especially in the colder months, tackling heat loss within residents homes, and working with them to find ways to try reduce utility and energy bills. Because we cover different localities as Green Doctors, we do get a pretty good knowledge of other local organisations  and charities that are out there, which can also support households, so our service isn’t just focused the world of energy, but also around the wider wellbeing of residents, such as health or financial concerns, all related to energy in the home, that residents may need help with, which can include referring residents to charities supporting people with debt and money-related concerns.

A Green Doctor can provide you with a range of advice and practical guidance during a consultation and visit, and even install some energy and money saving measures directly in your home as well as help to identify, and signpost you towards, further relevant support.