The Home Improvement Agency can help you stay safe and warm in your home if you are older, disabled, or vulnerable.
Our team can provide:
- Emergency winter support
- Gas safety advice and services
- Information on local and regional energy efficiency grants
Emergency heating support
If you are older, disabled, or vulnerable, own your own home, and/or on a low income with savings under £6,000, and your heating system breaks down, we can help by:
- Exploring grants to repair or replace your heating system
- Providing temporary heaters to keep you warm
- Supplying a Winter Warm Pack (includes blanket, hot water bottle, thermal hat and socks)
Gas Safety Scheme
This scheme promotes gas safety awareness and helps to prevent dangerous gas work and appliances that can cause injury or illness by offering grants of up to £500 to fund the following work:
- Gas safety checks and servicing
- Boiler repairs and combustion analysis
- Cooker and fire repairs
- Gas pipework and meters
- Water heater repairs
Find out more on the Gas Safe Charity website.
Energy efficiency measures
The Home Improvement Agency can help you access information and support to help you lower your energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.
The service can connect you with the following schemes:
- Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and ECO Flex - this is a UK government scheme that requires energy suppliers to fund energy-saving improvements like insulation and heating upgrades for low-income households
- Warm Homes Local Grant - this is a UK Government-funded scheme that helps low-income households to make their homes more energy efficient and install low-carbon heating systems
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme - this scheme offers grants to replace old fossil fuel boilers with low-carbon heating systems like air source heat pumps
- Great British Insulation Scheme - this is a UK government program that helps households install insulation such as loft, cavity wall, or solid wall insulation, to reduce energy bills and improve home warmth
- Green Doctors - this service provides advice and practical support to help households stay warm, well, and save money on household bills. Further information about Green Doctors can be found at Green Doctor, helping UK residents stay warm, stay well, and save energy (opens new window)
Further information about grants to improve your energy efficiency can be found at Sunderland City Council's Are you eligible for funding to improve your home? (opens new window)
Further information about ways to stay warm and use less energy at home can be found at Sunderland City Council's Easy ways to stay warm and use less energy at home (opens new window).
