This week Inksplott caught up with Rachael from Warm Wales, a service sponsored by Wales and West Utilities Ltd to help local people to stay warm and safe in their homes.
Rachael, a Community Energy Champion, is currently working in and around Cardiff in partnership with Cardiff Council and Care and Repair helping as many people as she can to save money on their energy and water bills so that they maximise their income.
Warm Wales is currently on the third phase of the service in Cardiff and is now focussing on Splott and Adamsdown, having previously been to Llanishen and Llanderyn. Due to resources, they aim to cover one area at a time. However, the service is available to all areas of Cardiff.
Rachael is well-placed to deliver the project, her previous jobs having all been aimed at helping those that could do with a little assistance:
“Showing householders how they can save themselves money by changing their fuel suppliers enables them to see how easy it can be. Some people believe that it is a difficult process, or want to stay faithful to their supplier.
“I came across a customer who wanted to save on her electric and her water bills. Once the electric tariff comparison had been completed, she saved £324.62. I then helped with her water bills and saved her an additional £332.52. This made a total of £657.14 saved. So, for talking to me and answering a few easy questions, she had saved a massive amount. Having saved this money, I asked her to pass on our number to her friends and family. She was very happy and it was lovely to see that I could change someone’s life in only a few minutes.”
Through the project, Splott has featured on the ITV Wales News. On 3rd September 2018, Rachael and her colleague Katrina took part in a recording with a local resident of Splott. Katrina did an energy comparison and identified a potential saving of over £400.
Rachael plans to attend the breakfast club in the Old Splott Library on Singleton Road, on as many Thursday mornings as possible. The breakfast club has been engaging with local supermarkets to use their surplus food to provide a free meal and a bag of food to take home for people experiencing food poverty. They bring together many ethnic groups, the elderly, those without permanent homes and asylum seekers, and give access to advice, activities, education and volunteer opportunities. People who can really benefit by saving money on their energy and water.
To make an appointment with Rachael or her colleagues, contact the Warm Wales office on 01656 747622. Home visits can also be arranged.
Warm Wales can be found here:
Twitter @warmwales
Facebook @warmwales CIC
Linkedin /company/warmwales
Pinterest /warmwales