Charis’ Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme closed at the end of March 2024 having distributed £2.3 million of support to over 5,000 park home households.
This year the scheme was funded by E.On Next and OVO and in addition to the £150 Warm Home Discount payments, Heat the Home bundles and over £800,000 worth of energy efficient appliances were distributed to replace old, inefficient items.
“Charis has been running the Park Homes scheme since 2015, and this year has been one of the most intense in terms of residents struggling to meet their energy bills due to the cost of living,” commented Charis director of client services, Jonathan Hunt. “Adding the Winter Warmth bundles and kitchen appliances has made a significant impact on the wellbeing of individuals who have been struggling to make ends meet.
“The scheme has proven to be a highly effective and efficient way for utility companies to support an often marginalised community. We‘re very grateful to E.On Next and OVO Energy for their financial commitment to this essential Warm Home Discount initiative.”
There are an estimated 110,000 park home residential addresses across England, Scotland and Wales and Charis believes that there are still thousands of owners who do not realise that they are eligible for the £150 payment.
Demographically, these residents, who pay site owners for their electricity usage, are primarily elderly and retired. They are often on restricted incomes and have, in the past, missed out on financial support. Many park homes can also be badly insulated, and residents are often running older, energy inefficient electrical appliances due to a lack of money to replace them with more efficient models. Subsequently, the Park Homes Warm Home Discount can be a lifeline for many individuals and their families who may be spending the winter months at risk of cold home related illnesses due to fuel poverty.
The Heat the Home bundle included simple to install radiator reflector foil, insulation film and draught excluder for improved warmth retention. Appliances are available for those who ticked the appliance box on their original application. Unfortunately, homeowners cannot make a retrospective application for an appliance.
Charis manages the distribution of financial and product support to vulnerable individuals and community projects on behalf of over 500 private sector, public sector, and not-for-profit organisations.
