 Head still spinning from last week's energy price cap news? Whether you were already struggling with utility bills or energy debt or you're worried what this might mean for you, we know it's a lot right now. Information, changes, bill switching. It's overwhelming if you don't know where to start.
If you want to learn more about what's happening right now, Citizens Advice, Martin Lewis and Energy UK have some useful, accessible information. But if you need immediate support with your utility bills, our energy advisors are here to help. We can offer personalised advice that's best suited to you and your home, so you know exactly what you can do to improve your situation. We'll help you:
If you're eligible, we can even provide fuel vouchers and free energy saving devices, or come to your home and help you make changes there and then. Contact our SWLEAP team for free, impartial advice and support today: ☎️ 0800 086 2706 📧 [email protected]
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 The recent energy and cost-of-living crises have been driving more people than ever into fuel poverty. While we host regular energy advice sessions in local community hubs and provide free advice over the phone, more needs to be done at a national level to support lasting, sustainable change.
One potential avenue being discussed at the moment is the pricing structure of energy tariffs and how a shift could help to shape consumer behavior, address fuel poverty, and achieve net zero targets – namely rising block tariffs and time-of-use tariffs.  Living in London and worried about climate change? Us too.
You might be wondering how you can make a difference, or feel confused about where to start – where better than in your own home? Booking an energy assessment with one of CREW Energy’s trained energy auditors can help you understand your energy use, pinpoint where you’re wasting energy, helping you save money, and make your home more efficient.  Repowering London and CREW Energy launched new partnerships yesterday with SGN, the
regional gas distribution network, to fight fuel poverty in South London. The launch event in Clapham saw community stakeholders come together to talk about ideas and opportunities for working together to best support residents not only now, but as we head into winter.  As we embrace the peak of summertime (although the weather may not be reflecting this) we have also entered the second week of Community Energy Fortnight, a nationwide campaign involving hundreds of organisations to showcase all things good about community energy.
This year's theme is #EmpowerCommunityEnergy, so we thought we'd shine a light on some of the ways our community energy group is empowering our community to take control of their energy usage, reduce costs and carbon!  After being highly commended at the 2023 Wandsworth Business Awards in the Environmental/Sustainability Champion category, this year CREW took home the top prize!  On 4 June 2024, CREW partnered on an event entitled 'Sustainable You', hosted by Climate Action Wandsworth at St Andrew’s Church in Earlsfield, attended by 46 local residents. The event provided a platform for attendees to hear from people in the community (like us), ask questions, share their views and engage in meaningful discussions regarding home retrofit and other sustainable measures. Participants were invited to share their thoughts on four key areas: barriers to retrofitting, community energy group support suggestions, areas of interest in sustainable actions, and ideas for a local climate hub. Lily from Climate Action Wandsworth kindly summarised the event and our findings in the blog below. Have a read and let us know if you have any thoughts to add!  This week, we had the pleasure of being interviewed by BBC Morning Live!
Energy champion Armelle talked grants and the rising cost of living with 83 year old Mary, while our Director Toby walked reporter James Stewart through some easy energy saving tips. You can watch the full clip on BBC iPlayer (from 10 mins onwards):  Back in 2020, we received funding from the Wandsworth Local Fund for our Green Walls project. Wandsworth Council kindly featured a piece on the installation at Smallwood and Hillbrook Schools in Tooting, photographed here.
The aim of the Green Walls project is to help schools mitigate the effects the effects of air pollution in playgrounds close to surrounding streets and to provide the pupils with more access to nature and greenery. Over the next year or two, the green walls will develop to provide an uninterrupted covering of green, attracting bees, butterflies and insects. Hi, I am Toby, one of the directors at CREW Energy. CREW is a not-for-profit community benefit society (Coop) that is supporting SW London’s transition to a low carbon economy. We work with schools, civic buildings, local residents and businesses to help them cut carbon, improve air quality and reduce bills. CREW also has an active community outreach programme, helping those struggling to pay bills, with face to face consultations, phone advice and home visits. You can find out more about our current project at: https://swleap.org.uk/. The gas crisis I wanted to spend some time in this article talking about energy prices. As you will know by now, prices are set to rise by 54% in April and are likely to rise further in October due to the Ukraine war and its impact on the gas market (see chart). Current estimates are that the next price cap, in October, will see a further 24% rise and this could increase further as the war drags on. So what can you do?Firstly, make behavioural changes. Turn down your thermostat 1 degree, and reach for a jumper to keep warm. Put a snake at your front door to reduce drafts. Close doors so you keep warmth in the room. Make sure your dishwasher and washing machines are full before running them. Reduce the time you spend in the shower or even adopt my latest fad, cold showers. These improve circulation, reduce inflammation and increase endorphins. What's not to like? For more tips click here.
Secondly, send your supplier an updated reading before March 31st so you are not charged at the higher rate for energy already used. If you are on a non-smart prepayment meter, top up for as much as you can before April 1st to avoid the cap increase. Then consider adopting energy saving technologies like LED lights (they will save 50-90% depending on fitting type) and smart thermostats which will learn how long it takes to warm your home and adjust that time depending on outside temperatures, something us geeks call weather compensation. Smart radiator valves will allow you to zone your home and only heat rooms when you need to. Why heat a bedroom from 5 pm or even at lunch time? Loft insulation is relatively inexpensive and can save up to 20% on heating bills. |
