If you are looking for energy efficiency or retrofit advice, please head over to ECOE Advice

In 2025 our award-winning energy advice projects transferred to a separate charity. The same experienced advice team assists residents across Exeter, Mid Devon, East Devon, Teignbridge and Torbay. You can find out more about the current services by visiting the ECOE Advice website.

Our energy efficiency history
In 2017, our then Chair and Chief Exec, Gill Wyatt, launched a fuel poverty service to provide free support for vulnerable and fuel poor residents in Exeter and East Devon.
This ‘Healthy Homes for Wellbeing’ project, consisting of a couple of part-time advisors and volunteers, helped 200 households in the first winter season.

In 2018, Gill recruited more staff, including Tara Bowers, who went on to become the project manager from 2020 until Sept 2025.
Tara helped develop the service in Mid Devon, and later in 2018 the team grew and began to offer support in Teignbridge and Torbay as well.

In 2019 Gill launched the Hardship Fund, and each year since then we campaigned for winter donations. The Hardship Fund has supported residents with fuel vouchers, white goods repairs or replacements, carpets and urgent household repairs.

In 2020, although home visits were restricted, the service continued to operate through the COVID lock down periods via telephone or online support. The team got back to visiting residents in their homes and at outreach venues as quickly as possible.

In 2021, the Retrofit Advice service was trialled, and this grew to be an important part of our advice proposition. The retrofit team delivered services to Devon County Council’s grant schemes, as well as direct assessments for fee paying residents.

In 2021 the Healthy Homes for Wellbeing project introduced free benefits checks and application support, and in 2023 accredited debt advice was added to the list of services.

Also in 2021 Tara developed a Community Energy Champion training and trained an initial cohort of 6 local residents. This project was developed further as a collaboration with Energise Sussex Coast and SELCE (South East London Community Energy) and more than 50 energy champions were trained by Tara and her team.

In 2023 Tara introduced an Energy Efficiency Fund – designed to provide grants for household repairs, and other improvements when no other funding sources were available.

Staff numbers peaked in the winter of 2024/25 when there were 42 advisors and support staff helping residents across the region.
This growth was possible due to high levels of funding in 2022 – 2025. Funders included Wales and West Utilities, National Grid, British Gas Energy Trust, LEAP (local energy advice partnership), Teignbridge District Council, Torbay Council, East Devon District Council and Devon County Council.

The project relied on positive community connections. Gill and Tara developed a wide network of community partners, and these partners referred in local households for support. The project quickly became known as the go to energy advice service for the area.

The Healthy Homes project was hugely successful. Between Nov 2017 and Mar 2025, we help over 18000 households with one to one advice, including 7306 home visits, saving them an estimated first year energy savings/income gains of £8.1m and over 3000 tons Co2 reduced.

The service
Residents received help with
 changing supplier or tariff and applying for discounts
 general billing and energy supplier support
 registering for Priority Services Register
 energy and water saving tips and advice
 grants for insulation and heating repairs/replacements
 heating control advice
 smart meter help
 low carbon technology and smart tech support
 help with benefits and debts
 referral for Fire Safety Checks
 replacement white goods, and other small appliances
 hardship and energy efficiency grants
For those receiving a home visit, free energy saving measures (eg LED light bulbs, draught proofing, radiator reflectors) were fitted.
Retrofit clients received a whole house survey and plan, to help them make informed choices about the improvements needed in their homes to become as efficient, and as carbon neutral, as possible.

Community talks and events

The team focused heavily on being visible in the community. Energy advice drop-ins took place at regular venues, locations where strong community links were forged eg Council offices, foodbanks, libraries, community centres. Further adhoc events, drop-ins and talks took place across the region each year with a stronger presence in the cold winter months. Over 2000 community outreach events enabled the advice team to reach those most in need of our help.

Frontline worker training
Tara and Gill also developed a comprehensive package of training for frontline workers. The training highlighted the link between cold homes and poor health and explained all the ways our service could help residents. This training helped create referral partnerships between frontline workers and the project which enabled vulnerable households get the help they needed quickly.

Achievements
As well as the savings for residents, we also won a multitude of awards.
2020 – National Heat Hero awarded to Tara Bowers

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw and ‘Heat Hero’ Tara Bowers

2021 – SouthWest Energy Efficiency Awards Winner – Vulnerable Customer Support
2022 – Exeter Sustainability Awards – Non profit category Winner
2023 – Green Energy Awards Winner – Community Energy Initiative of the Year
2024 – Community Energy England – Winner x 2
Fuel Poverty in Action
Community Engagement and Inclusion

2025 – Community Energy England – Winner x 2
Community Energy Group (large) of the Year
Progress in Expansion

Thank you to all the funders and donors who supported the energy efficiency projects between 2017 and 2025. A massive thank you to all the local partners and venues who helped us deliver the service, and finally hug thanks to the staff and freelance contractors who gave such dedication in supporting vulnerable households in the area. We wish you all continued success!