Energy saving in the home

Portsmouth City Council has launched Switched On Portsmouth, a new website to help residents keep their homes warm at an affordable cost and support households struggling to pay energy bills.

From help and advice, to free energy and money saving initiatives, see what you are eligible for.

Visit the Switched On Portsmouth website or call the team for free on 0800 260 5907

Energy saving actions and installations in your home can save you money, make it easier to heat and improve the health of you and your family. Fuel poverty affects 10.8% of all households in Portsmouth, higher than the national average. Living in fuel poverty can lead to households living in cold homes. This can affect physical and mental health, childhood attainment and lead to damp and mould issues in properties.

Portsmouth City Council works in partnership with LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership) to provide energy saving advice to vulnerable residents across Portsmouth and the surrounding areas (PO1-PO13).

This is a FREE home visit service that offers advice, free small energy saving measures, and access to further funding for loft and cavity wall insulation.

To book a free home visit:

• Call: 0800 060 7567 (free phone)
• Or apply online with LEAP

ECO is a government energy efficiency scheme to help tackle fuel poverty. Obligated energy suppliers must fund measures which improve the ability of fuel poor and vulnerable households to heat their homes.

In conjunction with LEAP you can check if you are eligible for funding for larger energy efficiency measures (such as loft and wall insulation) under the government’s ECO scheme.

To check your eligibility for ECO:

• visit the Ofgem website for supplier contact details

We are able to refer residents across Portsmouth and the surrounding areas to obligated energy suppliers so they can be offered help under the scheme. Our Statement of Intent, which includes eligibility criteria, can be found below.

Portsmouth City Council’s ECO Statement of Intent 2019

Portsmouth City Council’s ECO Statement of Intent 2018 (withdrawn 29 November 2019)

Portsmouth City Council’s ECO Statement of Intent 2017 (withdrawn 22 October 2018)

Portsmouth City Council’s ECO Statement of Intent 1st June 2017 (withdrawn 20 July 2017)

Portsmouth City Council has worked in partnership with uSwitch to create a free energy switching comparison site. This is to help you compare gas and electricity suppliers, so you can find and switch to the cheapest energy deal for you.

To see if you can save on your energy bills, visit the UK Power website or call 0800 138 9078.

You can also receive assistance with switching supplier as part of LEAP’s free home visit service.

Portsmouth City Council is offering free central heating systems to qualifying households (in partnership with Warmer Homes), including a free gas connection, if required.

This scheme is running until 2021 and aims to install 1,500 new systems in vulnerable households across Portsmouth and the surrounding areas. Heating your home using gas central heating can be as much as three times cheaper than using electricity.

To check whether you are eligible, and refer yourself to Warmer Homes,

• Call: 0800 038 5737 (free)
• Or apply online with Warmer Homes

Portsmouth City Council has secured funding through the Local Authority Delivery Scheme to offer households funding to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

There is up to £10,000 of funding per household available for qualifying measures, including solid wall insulation, air source heat pumps, solar PV panels and more.

The scheme is operating on a first-come, first served basis until September 2021 only, so be sure to apply today.

• Call 0800 038 5737 (free)
• Or apply online with Switched On

As well as tackling climate change, changing the way you use energy in order to live more sustainably can help reduce your energy bills.

We’ve put together some ideas for saving energy in your home.

For more information and advice from Portsmouth City Council on the help available to keep your energy bills low, your house warm and you and your family healthy, please e-mail energysaving@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call 023 9243 7815.