A Plymouth City Council-funded energy efficiency scheme is entering its 10th year of helping people to keep warm and healthy at home.

Healthy Homes was officially launched in 2001 as a partnership project between Plymouth City Council, the Energy Savings Trust and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. The project helps people whose health is at risk from cold or damp living conditions to make their homes warmer and healthier places to live by offering grants towards heating, insulation and ventilation improvements.

To date Healthy Homes has awarded over £400,000 to eligible Plymouth households and improved insulation in more than 650 properties, not only making homes more comfortable for residents but also saving them money on their fuel bills and reducing their impact upon the environment.

To qualify for help through the scheme people must be homeowners in the Plymouth area and they must have a health problem that is affected by the cold – for example arthritis, breathing problems, stroke or heart problems. A questionnaire is used to assess whether applicants qualify for a grant and those who require heating improvements are always visited at home.

Project Co-ordinator Katie Reville said: "Everyone involved in the Healthy Homes project is delighted with what it has achieved over the last nine years. Not only has it helped thousands of people with advice and grants but it has also led to many useful and long-lasting partnerships between Plymouth City Council and organisations such as NHS Plymouth and Care and Repair Plymouth. We all hope that Healthy Homes will continue to improve the health and wellbeing of Plymouth residents for many years to come.”

For more information about the scheme and to find out if you qualify for help call 0800 512012.

Plymouth City Council Press Releases, 30 April 2010