Here to Help now available to even more people:

RNIB has received continued funding for 2008 from British Gas for the 'Here to Help' project, the award-winning energy efficiency programme launched in 2002.  And now even more people can apply for the scheme which offers free home insulation, worth around £500, and free RNIB products and services for people with sight problems.

Until now, ‘Here to Help’ was restricted to people who get certain benefits.  Now anyone over 70 who owns their home or rents it from a private landlord can apply to have their home insulated free of charge, regardless of their income or energy supplier.  People under 70 who receive certain benefits, which include Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit, can also apply.  British Gas will send a surveyor to check whether your home needs extra loft insulation or cavity wall insulation and will pay for this to be installed. You don’t even have to be a British Gas customer to take up the offer. Cavity wall and full loft insulation will save an average of £200 a year [1] on heating bills and will also help the environment by reducing carbon emissions.  What makes this energy scheme unique is the additional support it offers to anyone with a sight problem.

Visually impaired people of all ages who take up the offer of free home insulation will also qualify for a range of products and services from RNIB to help with everyday living, free of charge.  RNIB’s Patrick Keaveney said: “This is a genuine offer with no-strings attached. We’ve been able to help over 3,000 blind and partially sighted adults and children through the scheme so far. We’ve sent out thousands of free products, the most popular being the big button telephone, the reading lamp and talking watch.

“The benefits health check we offer has made a real difference to people’s lives. We’ve so far identified over £3 million in unclaimed state benefits. In one case, this amounted to over £6,000 a year on income which the claimant was missing out on.”

To check if you qualify for Here to Help, call RNIB on 0845 330 4897 or email rnibhelp-project@rnib.org.uk. Further information: www.rnib.org.uk/heretohelp

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[1] Source: Energy Saving Trust, August 2007. Based on a three-bedroom, gas-heated semi-detached house with an average annual gas consumption of 20,500 kWh. Individual savings may vary depending on type and age of home.

Further information 

For further press information or to interview case studies please contact Michael Farragher, RNIB’s Here to Help Local Co-ordinator, on 0151 298 3244.

Notes to editors 

Here to HELP

British Gas’s ‘here to HELP’ programme, in liaison with local authorities and four charities including RNIB, aims to improve the quality of life amongst many of the most disadvantaged people in the UK. The programme provides a package of essential services for the home - free of charge.