The Department of Energy and Climate Change's Warm Front Scheme has been changed to improve the quality of service for its customers. Warm Front provides grants for people on qualifying disability or income related benefits to install insulation or energy efficient heating in their homes.
Following a review of the contract with Eaga, the Warm Front Scheme Manager, a number of alterations have been agreed which will open the Scheme up to greater competition to provide best value for money.
Households connected to the gas grid are now eligible for grants of up to £3,500, up from £2,700, while those in areas off the gas grid can apply for funding up to £6,000, an increase of £2,000.
Funding to the Warm Front Scheme has been increased by £174 million since September 2008, bringing total funding to £959 million for the three years to April 2011.
The Scheme is also being expanded to include the installation of low-carbon heat and power technologies, such as solar thermal heating and air source heat pumps, which will help householders generate their own low-cost, renewable energy. These technologies will initially be trialled in small-scale pilot programmes.
The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) has asked housing associations to note a major change in gas safety.
The change, which came into effect on 1 April 2009, now means that all gas engineers must be on the new Gas Safe Register to lawfully carry out gas work. The Gas Safe Register replaces the CORGI gas registration which ended in Great Britain and Isle of Man on 31 March and no longer applies to gas safety law.
Gas safe logo housing associations are being asked to take this into account when selecting engineers to carry out gas safety checks or work on the homes they manage.
All Gas Safe Registered engineers have an ID card complete with unique licence number and photograph, which tenants can check before allowing an engineer to enter their home. If a tenant is any doubt, the engineer's licence number can easily be checked on the website - www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk, or by calling 0800 408 5500.
Associations are also reminded to make sure they supply tenants with a copy of the safety check within 28 days of it being carried out or before a tenant move in.