MORE than £20 million is to be spent by a community housing group to help tenants tackle fuel poverty.

After we reported in March that Blaenau Gwent was deemed to be an area at the highest risk of fuel poverty, Tai Calon Community Housing, Blaenau Gwent’s largest social landlord, has taken action.

The group is set to spend around £23 million by 2015 including installing external wall insulation and new heating systems across the county in order to keep homes warmer at a lower price. There is also a team of fuel advisors at the ready to visit tenants and give advice on reducing bills and using their systems more efficiently.

At present it has replaced more than 2,100 heating systems under its programme to bring all its houses, which is more than six thousand, up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2015.

Last year, 570 heating systems were installed as part of an £8 million scheme to improve insulation and cut heating bills in properties of non standard construction.

Around 540 homes also had external wall insulation fitted as part of the Carbon Energy Saving Project.

Tenants have told Tai Calon that the work has made a real difference to their lives, their homes are now warmer and cheaper to heat. The cost of the scheme was shared between Tai Calon and the energy company E.on and has helped to reduce the carbon output within Blaenau Gwent by more than 90,000 tons.

Tai Calon is now hoping to gain further funding to insulate around another 1,800 properties over the next six years under the replacement scheme to Cesp.

Jen Barfoot, Chief Executive of Tai Calon, said “We are delighted that our energy advice project is proving so helpful to tenants.

"We were keen to take on young, local unemployed people to deliver it, and it’s proved to be the right decision!”