Tamar Energy Community and West Devon Borough Council are getting behind a new pilot project to help local residents save energy and money in their homes.

The Local Energy Advice Programme (LEAP) provides residents with a free home visit from a trained energy adviser who provides advice and support to make the home as energy efficient as possible.

During the home visit the adviser will have a chat with you, check you’re on the best energy deal, provide energy saving tips and make any necessary referrals for insulation or heating improvements.

The adviser can also make on the spot improvements by fitting measures such as draught proofing and LED light bulbs. A referral can also be made, if agreed, for advice on income maximisation (e.g. benefit checks).

Tamar Energy Community and South Dartmoor Community Energy (S. Hams) are actively providing energy saving advice to residents across West Devon and the South Hams. The LEAP scheme supports our aims, and those of West Devon Borough Council and S. Hams District Council, to reduce fuel poverty, look at options for more affordable energy and help people live in warmer, healthier homes.

Kate Royston from Tamar Energy Community: “The great thing about this scheme is that the eligibility criteria to receive a home visit are very broad. The scheme is open to anyone who is in any of the following categories:

• people who rent or own their homes
• those in receipt of benefits and on low incomes (below £16,190)
• anyone who has a health problem that is affected by the cold
• those who have a physical or sensory disability
• people who are carers, are pregnant or who have children under 5 in the home.

We urge local residents to act now before winter arrives!”

To find out if you qualify for a LEAP home visit, or for any other energy advice, give us a call 0800-233-5414, call into Local Matters in Elbow Lane, Tavistock (11:00 to 13:00 Mon. to Sat.) and we can discuss the support we can offer.

Alternatively you can contact Project LEAP directly by calling 0800 060 7567 or visit the project website www.projectleap.org.uk.

The LEAP scheme is provided by AgilityEco alongside local councils and voluntary sector groups. It is funded by energy suppliers as part of the Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives fund. It was launched in Devon at the start of the year. We are keen that as many people in West Devon and South Hams are able to benefit from this scheme.

Local organisations who work with vulnerable clients are urged to help raise awareness of the scheme and to refer people for support through LEAP using the website www.projectleap.org. On applying to the scheme residents will have a home visit from LEAP within a couple of weeks at a convenient time and date for them.

Find out more about LEAP here.

Damp is a serious problem. It’s important to try and find out the cause.

Damp is mainly caused by condensation of water vapour in the air, forming on cold areas on walls and windows.
There are other reasons for damp such as leaky pipes, rain entering the structure either directly or from guttering and drainpipes. This is often called ‘penetration damp’.
‘Rising damp’ results from water rising up from the ground. This is the least common cause.

Download our dealing with damp information table here. It will help you understand what actions you can take to reduce damp in your home, and related costs.

Moisture in the air is known as ‘humidity’.
You may find it useful to have a humidity meter in the home. You can get these on line. We have simple temperature and humidity meter’s available for £5.

Energy Bills can be very confusing.

• It’s useful, from time to time, to check out what’s available from other suppliers for your gas and electricity. You may find you can save money.
  We recommend the switching services offered by Plymouth Energy Community (PEC).

• There’s a telephone service available. Just call 01752 477067 and you’ll be connected to PEC’s partners energyhelpline. Have a bill handy, if available. If you don’t have a bill to hand, don’t worry, their advisors will support you through the process.
  • It’s a completely free and impartial service, and there is no obligation to switch. energyhelpline compare all tariffs on the market and you will always be advised of the cheapest deal available. You can ask if you’re looking for something specific, like a renewable energy tariff. Key/card users can switch too.

• If you prefer an online service then check out http://www.plymouthenergycommunity.com/switching.
  • Use this link and you can check for the best tariffs yourself. Again it is free and impartial and you don’t have to switch. When you’re using the switching service, on the last page, click ‘See results’ to see your offers from all suppliers, the ones which say ‘Review Only’ are not available from us, but you can go directly to the supplier website to switch to it. Once you have chosen the tariff that you wish to switch to, just click and switch!
  • This service is provided by PEC’s partners, My Utility Genius.

• If you’d like some help to switch, then come along with your bills to:

• see us at our Local Matters Community Space – open Mon to Sat (opening hours here).
• join us at Green Drinks, second Tuesday of each month at Union Inn (19:30 to 21:30).
• or email: hello@tamarenergycommunity.com; Phone: 07969-569-444