Agenda item

To update the Committee on the operation of the New Energy Service along with the Climate Change work.

To accept the report that provided an overview of the New Energy service as well as the Climate Change work.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Property gave an introduction and referred to the work of the team of Officers in the Property Service who were trying to reduce the Council's carbon footprint. He noted that they had experienced successes and as a result, when drafting the Housing Action Plan, there was a desire to assist the public in Gwynedd by offering help and practical support.  As a result it was explained that the New Energy Conservation Service had been established.  Under the leadership of the Energy and Commercial Services Manager it was considered that this service had been successful.  Pride was expressed in the work and the importance of disseminating the message about the good work undertaken by the team was emphasised.

 

The Head of Housing and Property Department expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to report on the activities of the New Energy Service to the Committee. She noted that the report referred to the journey of establishing the service and what had been achieved thus far as well as the work that was in the pipeline. The report referred to how the Council's carbon management plan intertwines with the Climate Change work to which the Council had committed.

 

The report was presented by the Energy and Commercial Services Manager and he referred to the key messages in the report. It was noted that the report was in two parts, the first part referred to the New Energy Service and the second to the Carbon Management Plan and the work undertaken over the last twelve years. 

 

Members of the Committee were guided through the report and attention was drawn to the de-carbonisation of homes and the help available from the Council regarding fuel poverty.  It was noted that the information in the report such as the graphs were striking as they indicated the seriousness of the situation in Gwynedd and reference was made to the energy inefficiency of the majority of the County's houses.  Details were provided of schemes such as Nest and ECO and the payments available to offer support to the people and residents of Gwynedd who are on prepayment meters.

 

It was added that the team was trying to ensure that the County's residents claimed everything that was available to them and to refer individuals to the appropriate schemes.  It was anticipated that the demand on the team would increase as a result of increasing fuel costs and that time would tell if what is available from the team is sufficient for the needs of the people of Gwynedd. It was noted that there was a new site for poverty on the Council's website which contained useful information about the available support.

 

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:-

 

·         Thanks was given for an exceptional report and the detailed content was commended. 

·         A comment was expressed that it was more costly to have prepayment meters but this was the most affordable option for many in the County as there was no need to pay a quarterly lump sum.

·         Reference was made to ECO 4 and the grants available to insulate housing to save energy. There was concern that damp may develop in a property as a result of insulation work and it was asked if someone from the Council carried out visits to ensure that the materials used by companies were suitable. It was also asked if the companies used were local, from Gwynedd or North Wales.

·         It was stated that it was a good opportunity for joint working and for the Council to attract apprentices or to promote job opportunities. It was deemed that it would be good to offer opportunities for young people and to contribute to climate change work.

·         It was asked what was the grants criteria and if help was available for those who pay bills quarterly.

·         It was stated that the figures noted in the report were very heartening such as the 349 referrals to ECO 3. The Nest scheme was praised and this had assisted to warm the properties of residents and make them more energy efficient as well as offering advice.  It was noted that these were schemes with a substantial benefit to the health and well-being of the county's residents as well as to reduce their bills. 

·         The figure for calls and referrals to Nest had been checked and it was noted that the report made reference to 55 referrals out of 257 of calls in one part but then there was a reference to 257 referrals in another part.

·         It was asked if a person had received support via the Nest scheme in the past does the Council contact them again and is there further assistance available.

·         It was asked whether those who receive Council tax single person allowance were eligible for the scheme.

·         It was believed that there was a need to look at housing as a whole noting that there was not much value to improve boilers and heaters if there were poor windows in a property.

·         A comment was made that working persons now also face poverty and were sometimes poorer than those who are in receipt of benefits.  It was emphasised that there was a need to assist this population group. 

·         It was believed that the increase in fuel costs had alarmed many people and there would be a higher demand for other services such as the ambulance as a result. There was concern that the efforts of the County's residents to save on energy costs would lead to them taking risks within the home.

·         It was also asked what Hydro establishments in locations such as Llanberis, Maentwrog and Tanygrisiau contribute and whether they could contribute or offer support to Gwynedd residents.

·         Concern was expressed about some companies adding costs to late payment electricity bills and within a week referred them to a debt company.

 

In response to the observations and questions from members above, it was noted that:-

 

·         All types of people contacted requesting assistance but the vast majority were on prepayment meters and the majority of the help available was for these people. It was confirmed that the tariff tended to be higher for residents on prepayment meters. 

·         It was noted that there were many issues with the former Arbed 1 and Arbed 2 schemes. It was explained that the Council's website listed four contractors who had been verified where these people could be referred to. It was reported that it was the Government who funded these schemes and the contractors were paid on condition that they had improved the EPC of the property in question.  It was unlikely that the Council would conduct monitoring visits as it was a contract between the contractor and the person.  It was confirmed that one of the four companies was from Anglesey with none from Gwynedd as they were large, specialist companies.  It was added that there may be opportunities in the future to promote the scheme and attract more contractors following assessing the demand. It was noted that monthly meetings were held with the contractors.

·         It was noted that the majority of the schemes were available for those on prepayment metres, however, payments such as DAF (discretionary assistance fund) were available for those who pay quarterly bills.  It was added that the information on how to apply was noted on the Gwynedd Council's website.

·         The Energy and Commercial Services Manager noted that he would check the Nyth  figures in the report and would contact the Councillor in question to confirm as he had received the figure directly from Nest.  It was reported that from now on as part of the service performance monitoring report they would report on the work completed and the houses that had been improved. 

·         It was reported that Nest usually conducted only one visit and there was nothing to prevent individuals from applying for help under the ECO scheme if they had received help from Nest in the past, as long as there was room to improve the property's EPC. 

·         It was considered that it was not a problem for those in receipt of Council tax single persons allowance to receive assistance from Nest and they would certainly be eligible under the ECO scheme.  It was reported that the Department tended to refer more individuals to the ECO scheme.

·         It was noted that the aim was to try and assist as many people as possible, especially in terms of the ECO Flex that would commence either in the Autumn or after Christmas. This would be flexible to include many people.

·         It was reported that an additional scheme may be created; discussions would be held with the North Wales Economic Ambition Board who have some budget for this purpose.  It was noted that unfortunately no scheme had ever existed to assist to improve and replace the windows of properties, this may be something the Council could look into.

·         It was added that there was room to update the report as developments occurred swiftly and the report developed would be a live report.

·         In response to a comment about re-opening fireplaces that had been closed in social housing, it was noted that unfortunately open fireplaces generated carbon emissions. 

·         It was reported that the electric carbon factor had reduced compared with 10 years ago mainly due to renewable energy such as Hydro, solar and wind turbines.  It was noted that a study was taking place in Tanygrisiau to see whether it was possible to provide local electricity from the Hydro to the houses. It was explained that there were barriers e.g. the need for every house to be with the same electricity supplier, however, it was currently ongoing work. 

·         It was explained that work was being undertaken by the Ambition Board in terms of Smart Networks looking into local electricity for local people and reports were currently being produced. This work was being conducted across North Wales.

 

The Head of Housing gave thanks for all the enquiries and the opportunity to share the report with the Committee.  A wish was expressed to come back in the near future in order to provide a further update on the schemes to Committee Members. 

 

It was reported that the information shared today would be placed on the Members' Intranet so that Members may share the information with their electors. To close, it was noted that the Department was doing its best to assist as many people as possible in Gwynedd over the next winter and hopefully schemes such as the ECO 4 scheme gave assistance to a wide range of the County's residents.     

 

DECISION

To accept the report that provided an overview of the New Energy service as well as the Climate Change work.