SW Leap Case Study One

Mr P lives in a one bedroom privately rented flat with his wife and four young children. The flat is in a block which is owned by a housing association but it was bought under the right to buy and subsequently rented out. The family have been there for eight years. 

Mr P was formerly a refugee and English is not his first language. It was unclear what benefits he was receiving, and there have been some issues relating to this.

The SWLEAP team carried out a home visit, at which his landlord was present.  We discovered a missing radiator and that one of the lights could only be turned off by removing the bulb. Both of these issues have been resolved by the landlord following our visit.

We also discovered a significant amount of damp and mould at the front of the flat. The reason for this was not clear but probably related to the lack of ventilation and the type of building. The landlord was aware of the issues we had picked up and had been in contact with the housing association as the freeholder of the property.

We were able to put in new LED bulbs throughout the flat and suggest energy saving tips which should give Mr P and family estimated savings of £141 per annum.  We also advised on the Warm Homes Discount and Priority Services Register both of which will help the family.

We referred Mr P’s case to his local ward councillor to look at overcrowding and other non- energy related issues.  These are extremely complex as they involve multiple agencies such as the Department of Work and Pensions and the local council.

SW Leap Case Study Two

Mrs X is a pensioner who lives in social housing and was concerned about her energy costs.

She had found out about SWLEAP because she attended one of our talks and had already started turning off all her appliances rather than leaving them on stand-by.

On visiting the property, the SWLEAP team noted that all of her lights were non-LED and so we were able to fit LEDs throughout as well as four radiator foils. Mrs X could not have afforded to buy these herself and would not have been able to fit them. They should reduce her bills by an estimated £137 per annum.

We provided information about energy savings and made suggestions for small changes, such as moving furniture away from radiators.

We also gave Mrs X details of the Priority Services Register and made sure that she knew how to apply for the next round of the Warm Homes Discount.

SW Leap Case Study Three

Mrs T lives in social housing in a 2-bedroom end of terrace house built in 1900 with her husband and child.

Mrs T’s husband had some serious health issues and had to stop working, which of course had a serious financial impact on the family.

The SWLEAP team checked the property and noticed that the boiler’s flow temperature was high. We lowered the temperature to 60 degrees Celsius which should result in a saving of £110 a year on the gas bill. 

Mrs T received a Warm Home Discount (WHD) last year, but not this year. They were worried. They claim UC (universal credit), with this benefit we explained to them that they belong to core group 2 and they can get £150 WHD paid by their energy supplier for the winter 2022/2023. We checked their eligibility for the scheme, using all the qualifying factors, energy supplier, benefit and energy cost score and they definitely qualified for it. We called the WHD helpline and we discovered that they had some incorrect information regarding the energy cost score about Mrs T. We identified the mistake and the WHD team apologised and confirmed that Mrs T will receive £150 WHD.

We referred them to their local Citizens Advice, to seek help with the PIP (personal independence payment) application as their life circumstances had changed. In case of extra help with the cost of living we recommended that they contact the local cost of living hub.

SW Leap Case Study Four

Mrs X lives in a 2 bedroom converted flat with her two children. She has a long term health condition and one of her children has additional needs.

Mrs X is working part-time, receives Personal Independent Payment, and has a low income.

SWLEAP visited her home and installed a range of measures including radiator foils and low energy lighting. SWLEAP also took meter readings to submit to her energy supplier as her bills were based on estimated readings and so she was being charged too much money and was entitled to a refund.

Mrs X lives in a privately rented property and with the increases in mortgage rates, the landlord was considering selling the property. Mrs X has limited mobility and did not want to risk moving into an unsuitable property or to move a greater distance from her workplace. Mrs X had rent arrears and had recently had her housing benefit revoked.

SWLEAP referred Mrs X on to her local councillor who helped her reinstate her housing benefit and get her name added to the list for social housing.

SW Leap Case Study Five

Mrs Z lives alone in a 4-bedroom house built in 1890 which she has lived in for 50 years. Mrs Z’s pension is very small and she has struggled to afford her energy bills following recent increases. This has resulted in Mrs Z limiting the use of her central heating and she has felt cold most of the winter which she didn’t know could negatively impact her health.

SWLEAP conducted a home visit and fitted 28 low energy lightbulbs which saved her on average £400 a year on her electricity bill. We also fitted 6 sheets of radiator foil which should reflect heat back into the house when Mrs Z uses her central heating, meaning she will be able to keep warmer. The addition of radiator foils saved her an additional £60 a year on her energy bills. With the money that SWLEAP saved her on her home visit, Mrs Z used it to put her central heating on more regularly to keep warmer and protect her health.

SWLEAP discovered that Mrs Z would be eligible for the Green Homes Grant and helped her apply to help her make improvements like double glazing and additional loft insulation.

SW Leap Case Study Six

Mrs G lives in social housing in a 3-bedroom house. Mrs G lives with her two adult sons and works full-time. Mrs G has issues with mould and damp in her property which is not being dealt with by her social housing provider.

SWLEAP visited the property and took pictures of the mould and damp in the property as evidence to be given to the social housing provider. After contacting the social housing provider with no response, SWLEAP helped Mrs G write a formal complaint. SWLEAP helped Mrs G through the complaint process where she received compensation for the mould and damp in the property.

SWLEAP also provided advice on how Mrs G can change her habits and lifestyle to reduce the dampness in the property which will hopefully reduce the growth of mould. The savings from the home visit meant that Mrs G could put the heating on more regularly to further reduce the dampness in the property.