Health

Health Through Warmth

Improving the health of our local communities is one of the three foundations of our community work, together with protecting the environment and education.

As part of our commitment to support the most vulnerable, in 2000 we set up the npower Health Through Warmth (HTW) scheme to identify people living in cold homes and to help them by installing heating and insulation measures.

Since 2000, we’ve accessed nearly £59.5 million of measures, including £7.2 million contributed from the npower HTW Crisis Fund helping to improve levels of warmth, comfort and quality of life for vulnerable people whose health is made worse by cold living conditions. The scheme helps people of any age and they don’t have to be npower customers.

HTW works closely with the National Health Service (NHS), local authorities, Home Improvement and Care and Repair agencies, and the charity National Energy Action (NEA) and operates across England and Wales.

How Health Through Warmth works

Often the people who are most in need are the hardest to reach, or are unaware that they can access help. Since 2000, the scheme has trained over 19,000 key community workers to identify the most vulnerable people in their communities and refer them to the HTW team.

Once someone is referred to us, the HTW coordinators access statutory national grant schemes and other locally available funds. If they’re not eligible for these, the team seeks funding from charitable organisations on behalf of our clients and, depending on their circumstances, they could also receive help from the npower HTW Crisis Fund.

2011

In 2011, 9,106 households were referred to the scheme and we helped over 8,912 access over £8.7 million worth of measures from external sources and Crisis Fund spend. As part of our efforts to ensure those who need help are aware of the support we can offer, we built relationships with an additional 35 charities in 2011 and have now worked with 211 charities, raising contributions from £203,367 in 2010 to over £383,838 in 2011.

The scheme expanded into South Tyneside, Gateshead, Northumberland and Stoke on Trent in 2011, as a result of successful working with the Newcastle Warm Zone. In 2011, HTW engaged with fourteen local MPs, including client home visits and meetings. These activities help to highlight clients’ experiences and the assistance they have received.

2012

npower has invested £14.7 million in Health Through Warmth over the last eleven years, with a further £4.5 million committed to 31 December 2014. This commitment has enabled HTW to expand operations across England and Wales.

Through our new partnerships with Foundations Independent Living Trust and Care and Repair Cymru, HTW will continue to help address issues of fuel poverty, excess winter deaths and health inequalities. Greater thermal comfort in homes helps improve wellbeing and quality of life, and can help older people remain independent at home for longer.