The proposition to customers

Birmingham Energy Savers is largely focused on private homeowners. It offers low cost, easy and informed access to technologies and solutions which:
• Make their homes cheaper to run
• Protect them against changing energy prices and uncertainty about future energy supplies
• Secure a tangible long-term income stream (which might in some cases be used to finance loans to pay for the initial property improvements)
• Increase the sale value of their property
• Make their home more comfortable and better to live in.

All these benefits can be achieved:
• At a lower cost than people expect, often with attractive financing mechanisms
• Through engaging with a trusted brand backed by Birmingham City Council
• With support from experienced and impartial front-line staff.

In doing this, homeowners secure:
• Reduced carbon footprints
• Employment opportunities in the West Midlands
• Access to modern, easy to use micro-energy and energy efficiency technologies.

The precise proposition and benefits will vary from property to property because this is the nature of home energy systems.

Birmingham Energy Savers will be marketed and sold to homeowners by the Council and partners’ existing front-line staff, who are being specially trained to specify and project manage whole-house retrofit solutions. Most homeowners will make a financial contribution, although in most cases loans will be available that make it possible to spread the cost over time, and sometimes to cover the costs completely from savings and income secured.

FUEL POVERTY

Birmingham Energy Savers is designed to be attractive to people across the social spectrum. The project will be particularly strong in offering propositions to households in fuel poverty, made possible by the recent introduction of feed in tariffs in the UK. This enables the council to develop innovative financing packages.

GRANTS AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING

Birmingham Energy Savers is an innovative and nationally leading project, and as such has already successfully secured a small amount of additional funding from central government (Pay As You Save) which includes some grant aid for certain categories of households. Additional funding from the EU, Advantage West Midlands and elsewhere is also being sought.