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 Executive, 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.
The Healthy Homes for Wellbeing team at St Sidwells Community Centre in 2018
Gill recruited more staff in 2018, including Tara Bowers, who went on to become the project manager from 2020 until September 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.
Although home visits were restricted in 2020, 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, we trialled the Retrofit Advice service, 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.
The Healthy Homes for Wellbeing project introduced free benefits checks and application support in 2021. In 2023 it added an accredited debt advice service.
Also in 2021 Tara developed a Community Energy Champion training and trained an initial cohort of six local residents. We developed this project further as a collaboration with Energise Sussex Coast and SELCE (South East London Community Energy) and trained more than 50 energy champions.
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.
Healthy Homes for Wellbeing advises local people on their energy use
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 is hugely successful. Between November 2017 and March 2025, we helped over 18,000 households with one-to-one advice, including 7,306 home visits, saving them an estimated first year energy savings/income gains of £8.1m and over 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions avoided.
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, we fitted free energy saving measures like LED light bulbs, draught proofing and radiator reflectors.
Retrofit clients got 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 – South West 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 huge thanks to the staff and freelance contractors who gave such dedication in supporting vulnerable households in the area. We wish you all continued success!
