BEAT THE BILLS
Are you feeling the pinch and looking for ways to make your pay cheque go further?
At 17&Central, we’re here to help. By pulling together and sharing information, we can help you navigate the cost-of-living crisis and Beat the Bills.
As well as sharing our top tips for reducing your energy bills, we’re going to be
working with local organisations and council departments such as Citizens Advice and promoting their services through our social channels.
Money-saving tips
If you’re looking for simple ways cut your outgoings and make your money work harder, then here are some great suggestions.
- Do full laundry loads. Half-loaded settings save very little energy, so a full load is much more energy efficient. Do fewer but FULLER wash loads instead.
- Use ECO setting on your dishwasher/boiler. This setting will heat the water slower but will use less energy.
- Be careful with that kettle! Research shows that the country is wasting around £68m worth of energy a year. Fill up the kettle with only as much water as you need at the time. This will save you up to a third of the energy you have been using.
- Switch to LED bulbs. Traditional bulbs are extremely inefficient. Use modern LED lights that are the very opposite! They will last longer and are less wasteful too.
- Unplug all chargers when the battery is fully charged. This will not only reduce energy use but will also prolong battery life.
- Make sure that your heaters and meters are set up right.
- Check comparison websites to see if there is a more affordable energy tariff or that if switching supplier might save you money.
Access financial help from the council and Citizen’s Advice
Citizen’s Advice and Waltham Forest Council offer a number of amazing services that you may be able to access if you have a disability, have a low or no income or have missed payments to your energy supplier.
- There is a Fuel Direct Scheme for very vulnerable people in debt
- The Warm House Discount is available to those who struggling (see link below). If your application is successful, your energy account will be credited with £140.
- Properties in bands A to D are entitled to a £150 rebate to help with energy bills. Find more information in the link below.
- The Government has also introduced a new scheme called the Energy Bills Support Scheme. This is a one-off payment of £400 which will be added to your energy account automatically or be given in vouchers to put towards your prepayment meters.
- The Winter Fuel Payment is a payment of £300 for those born on or before 26th September 1955. Payment should be received in November or December.
- Waltham Forest Council currently has a contract with a local fuel poverty charity called the HEET Project, which supports fuel poor residents by providing free home energy checks, advice, and energy efficiency improvement measures. We have included a number below.
- Building on its previous work with Citizens Advice Waltham Forest, the Council has decided to extend the offer for residents to apply for £250 to cover bills, rent, fuel, and other household essentials. The announcement comes after the Council received extra funding from the Department of Work and Pensions to support vulnerable households over the summer.
Useful links to get you started
- https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/housing/energy-efficiency/how-reduce-your-energy-bills#:~:text=Who%20you%20can%20contact%20for,7838%20(national%20rates%20apply).
- https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-a-better-energy-deal/save-money-on-your-gas-and-electricity/
- https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/struggling-to-pay-your-energy-bills/
- https://www.lets-talk.online/Home/Warm_Home_Discounts
- https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/grants-and-benefits-to-help-you-pay-your-energy-bills/
- https://newsroom.walthamforest.gov.uk/press-releases/b6040fdd-2834-4fd7-930c-b2bf9e188342/extra-financial-help-for-residents
Contact numbers for free advice
- Citizen’s Advice Waltham Forest: 0808 278 7838
- Age UK Waltham Forest: 020 8558 5512
- The HEET Project: 020 8520 1900
Save cash and carbon
In a bid to cut costs and improve Walthamstow’s carbon footprint, Working for Walthamstow is going to be hosting a brilliant Sell or Swap event at 17&Central throughout July.
A sustainability initiative designed to help our community navigate the high cost of living, the WFW team will be recycling, repairing and re-using clothes, children’s toys, furniture, electrical goods and other items.
Volunteer, donate, repair or swap goods and help our community save cash and carbon.
To get involved contact office@workingforwalthamstow.org.uk or call 020 8521 1223.
How can you help us?
If there are any organisations (local and national) we should know about, or if there’s anyone that we’ve missed, please let us know.
Also, if you have any brilliant money-saving tips, get in touch and we’ll share them via our social channels.
