Helping local households save energy and money

Charity ‘Green Doctors’ prescribe ways to help local households save energy and money

More than 330 households across Rochdale and Oldham have received one-to-one, tailored support and practical advice about their energy usage and how to save money thanks to environmental charity, Groundwork.

The visits were part of the ‘Healthy Homes’ campaign in partnership with British Gas Energy Trust to actively promote the benefits of energy efficiency for both the environment and for the purse strings.

Groundwork’s Green Doctors – impartial, energy experts – have been visiting households across Oldham and Rochdale to offer both money-saving advice and helping people find the cheapest energy provider, as well as offering practical advice about overall energy consumption and installing energy-saving devices such as draught excluders.

Over 2,650 saving devices were given free of charge to residents, including blankets and socks to keep warm, moisture absorbers to help prevent condensation and mould and energy monitors to help them keep tabs on their energy bills.

During the next few months, the Green Doctors will be completing follow-up visits to households to see what long-term improvements have been made and to ensure the house is ready for the coming winter months.

Speaking about the programme, Graham Duxbury, CEO of Groundwork UK, said: “It’s great to see the difference that our Green Doctors are making to people’s lives, on both a local and national scale as well as instilling a new way of thinking to encourage behaviour change.

“Over the course of the last nine months over 2,140 households have been visited nationally with 43% of those being over 65. A targeted service such as our Green Doctors can help to keep people warm and healthy while reducing the pressure on NHS and related services.

“Working with British Gas Energy Trust has allowed us to help more people across Oldham and Rochdale do their bit to save energy and help the environment while saving them money on their energy bills which is a great outcome for us all.”