Peabody shares energy saving tips with residents

Social housing residents from more than 1,500 homes across London were given a brief reprieve from the credit crunch last week, as the Peabody Energy Saving Week Road-Show visited residents to show them how they can cut energy usage and save cash.

Armed with the aim of reducing fuel poverty and hopefully saving the environment, the Road-Show of Peabody and Energy Saving Trust staff visited Darwin Court in Southwark, Blackfriars Estate in SE1, Clapham and Battersea Estate.

Specialist staff were on hand to chat to residents about the various grants that are available help people with their fuel bills, and to let residents know whether they qualify for them and how to apply.

The Energy Saving Trust will also offered plenty of useful advice about saving energy.

Such tips included:  

• Turn the room thermostat down by one degree Celsius. This can save around £30 a year.
• Make sure curtains or furniture are not in front of a radiator. 
• Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat the air. Gas flames should only heat the bottom of the pan, not the sides.

Residents received energy saving light bulbs, power downs (gadgets which avoid appliances from being on standby), hippos (which reduce the amount of water used to flush the toilet) and thermometers which will tell you if your room is too hot or cold.

Energy Saving Week was designed to promote energy saving action among householders through a concentrated programme of events across the UK, via a range of partner organisations and the Energy Saving Trust's network of regional advice centres.

The aim of Peabody’s Energy Saving Week Road-Show was to help more vulnerable residents who are at risk of fuel poverty, understand what help and information is available to them.

Policy Officer and member of Peabody’s Green Taskforce, Andrew Telford said: "There is a lot of information about how to save energy out there but not everyone has access to it.

"That is where Peabody comes in. This road show raised the awareness as to what information there is within the public domain, where it is exactly and how to find it. We also helped a lot of our residents in more practical terms by sharing tips and advice and giving out freebies they'll be able to use in their homes.
 
"We're not trying to tell people what to do but rather to provide our residents with an opportunity to help them reduce escalating fuel costs. We want them to know that there is help available and that no matter how bad the situation is, they have options. There are plenty of simple actions they can take that will make a real difference to the energy they use and the amount they pay in bills."