How one tenant has boosted her finance with help from her landlord.
Fuel poverty is a big problem in Wales, with 23 per cent of Welsh households affected. Keeping our homes warm is something a lot of people take for granted, but there are thousands of people across the country struggling to do just that.
Pauline Thomas is a tenant with Rhondda Housing Association (RHA). Until recently, she spent most winters struggling through fuel poverty. Now, thanks to help from her landlord, she is managing her finances better.
She said:
‘I was given an energy monitor by my housing association to check what was using the most electricity up in my home. I received lots of advice and support from RHA’s energy awareness officer along the way to help set it up.
‘Having the monitor was an eye opener! I was told that by leaving my microwave oven on so I could use the clock I was using more energy than cooking so that was turned off along with my cooker clock. Every light in my home has energy saving bulbs; I no longer leave the TV, recording equipment etc. on standby which also saves money. I even decided to have a water meter fitted which reduced my bill from £42 a month to £17 a month.
‘I look online every year now to see what company can give me a reduced rate. I still struggle, and live in fuel poverty, but I have reduced my bills considerably so that’s a huge weight off my mind as I continue to try and find ways to keep my energy bills down.’
Will Atkinson, policy and programmes manager at Community Housing Cymru said:
‘Tenants living in housing association properties are continually affected by rising fuel bills, and recently, Universal Credit pushing them further into debt. High energy prices in Wales are compounded by the energy inefficiency of Welsh housing, the proliferation of pay as you go meters and lack of access to mains gas in rural areas.
‘Community Housing Cymru is keen to build a policy environment which enables housing associations to deliver our “Housing Horizons” vision of a Wales where good housing is a basic right for all, and that includes the provision of more good quality, energy efficient, and affordable homes.’