MP Praises Warm Front

Newly elected MP Simon Kirby has seen first hand how the Warm Front Scheme is helping to improve the quality of life for local households.

From Left to Right: James Morrill (Eaga Partnership Development Officer), Mr and Mrs Bennett and MP Simon Kirby.

The Brighton Kempton and Peacehaven MP has also urged more to apply for help.

Managed by green services company Eaga, Warm Front provides heating and insulation grants to households on qualifying income and disability-related benefits. Measures installed through the Scheme can keep people warmer in winter and help cut annual heating bills by hundreds of pounds through energy efficiency improvements.

Since 2000 more than 4,500 households in Brighton Kempton and Peacehaven have received help through Warm Front, with energy saving improvements worth in excess of £3.5 million.

Brighton resident Sylvia Bennett has recently had a new boiler and loft insulation installed.

She said: “The insulation has made the house much warmer and easier to heat, so I’m looking forward to lower fuel bills.  With the new system I can also control the heating and hot water separately, which makes a huge difference. The installers worked really hard, were very courteous and always cleaned up after them.”

Mr Kirby added: “As the new MP for Brighton Kempton I am extremely keen to meet as many local people as possible, and to see how Schemes like Warm Front can make a difference.  Having seen this first hand with Mrs Bennett I would urge all those who feel they may qualify for help to apply. With energy prices rising and winter approaching, the best and most sustainable way to keep heating costs under control is to make our homes as energy efficient as possible.”

Eaga also offers a Benefit Entitlement Check (BEC) through the Warm Front Scheme, to ensure households in genuine need claim what they are entitled to.

In the past year Eaga has offered BEC assistance to more than 70,000 households across the UK, increasing incomes by an average of £30 a week. In Brighton Kempton and Peacehaven Eaga has helped more than 366 households through the BEC service.

For more information on Warm Front contact 0800 316 2805 or visit www.warmfront.co.uk