Severn Wye Energy Agency changes the way people use energy, to help them stay warm and safe at home. It’s a mission that takes our community-based advisers into people’s homes where they often see family members in caring roles who are otherwise invisible.
One such case was an older couple living in Wales. They had been very involved in sports and community activities throughout their lives but when the husband was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease everything changed. Now dependent on an oxygen tank, he was suddenly reliant on his wife for his day-to-day needs and wellbeing – a situation which of course changed her life entirely too.
This difficult situation was made worse last winter when their boiler broke down and local contractors advised a replacement would cost anywhere from £2,000 to £4,000 – money they just didn’t have. That Christmas was a difficult one – on top of health and financial issues they had only a small portable heater for warmth.
Our adviser met the pair at their local foodbank where they were volunteers, and after hearing of their circumstances she visited them at home and helped them apply to the Welsh government’s NEST scheme which funds energy efficiency improvements including – to the couple’s amazement – replacement boilers for people with health conditions. Once a surveyor had come out to assess the situation, within ten days the central heating was up and running.
Being warm at home is important for all of us, but particularly when you have a health condition that means prolonged cold can have lasting consequences. Thanks to a timely encounter with our adviser, the wife has one less thing to worry about when caring for her husband. But it turns out she wasn’t the only one in the household taking on a caring role. During her home visit our adviser was astonished to see the behaviour of the couple’s young dog, which jumped up on the husband and wrapped itself around him! The wife said this was recent behaviour – as if the dog knew its owner needed to stay warm. Now all three can relax in a comfortable and safe home.
Frontline staff who see people living in cold conditions or at risk of fuel poverty can refer them directly to Severn Wye using this form: https://www.severnwye.org.uk/refer and carers can contact the team directly on communityadvice@severnwye.org.uk.
