What is the North Staffordshire Warm Zone?
The Warm Zone is working in partnership between your local council, National Grid and Scottish Power. It brings together funding to help cut fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency of your home making it warmer and cutting your fuel bills.
The letter says this is free - what is the catch?
There is no catch. The Warm Zone is a 'Not for Profit' organisation, all the money is put towards home improvements and services for those who need them.
When will you be visiting me?
Our team of assessors will be visiting all ward areas within Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. We have already visited many wards and will be visiting the remaining areas over the coming year. Visit our How We Work page to see which areas we have yet to visit. If we have already visited your area you can still apply by completing an online assessment or self-assessment form.
Who will visit me?
We'll be sending our team of assessors to visit you and to ask you to complete a short application form. This will help us to work out what your grant entitlement is.
How will I know the Warm Zone team when they call?
Our staff will wear a distinctive red and black uniform with our company logo. They will also wear an identity badge. Always ask to see the identity badge and if you are unsure please call us on 01782 238443 to check who they are.
What other services do you provide?
Everyone who completes and signs an application form will receive 4 free energy saving light bulbs if requested, you will also be offered a free confidential and impartial benefits check. Smoke detectors are also available as well as other advice on energy efficiency and home security.
Once I have completed the form, what happens next?
We will write to you and let you know how we can help. If your house is suitable for loft and cavity wall insulation a surveyor will then visit you to see exactly what needs to be done. Our contractors will then get in touch with you to arrange a date for the work. It's as simple as that!
I rent from a Private Landlord, do I qualify?
Tell us your landlord's name and address and we will ask them for permission to do any work needed. We hope to work closely with all landlords. Sorry but the scheme does not cover council or housing association properties.
Why do you only cover home owners and private tennants?
The Warm Zone scheme is only funded to cover homes of this type, local authority or housing association homes will already have there own schemes running.
Why fill in the form if my house is fully insulated or I don't want any free services?
Even if you don’t require anything from the Warm Zone the information about your home’s energy efficiency is valuable to the local authority in measuring the overall energy usage in the area and will help in calculating domestic carbon dioxide emissions.
Why do you ask for my telephone number?
If there is a problem reading something on your survey form we can use this to call you rather than returning the form, also if you do require insulation or other services we can use this to get in contact. We will never pass on your number to anyone not directly involved in the scheme.
Why do you ask for my age?
In some instances if you require extra insulation in your home it may be free dependent on the age of the householder (or the oldest person permanently living at the same address).
Why do you ask about benefits?
In some instances if you require extra insulation in your home it may be free if you are on certain benefits (or someone permanently living at your address).
Why do you ask for my household income?
This is an optional piece of information that may mean in some circumstances extra insulation may be free. Also even if you are on a high income it is useful in gaining a general picture of ‘Fuel Poverty’ in an area by calculating what percentage of a householders income would be required to comfortably heat the type of property in which they live.
Why do you ask about ethnic origin?
The ethnic origin is not used in any way by the Warm Zone but is collected for the purposes of Government auditing to demonstrate that there is no racial discrimination within the scheme.
How long do the free light bulbs take to arrive?
The free low energy light bulbs are sent directly from one of our sponsors, Scottish Power, and have proved very popular so can sometimes be delayed in busy periods – they are usually delivered within 4-8 weeks but regretfully on occasions can be a little longer.
Who are the local authority approved contractors?
There are two approved contractors working for the North Staffordshire Warm Zone, these are Miller Pattison Ltd. and EAGA Home Services Ltd (formerly Millfold Ltd). Unfortunately we have received reports of door-to-door salespeople falsely claiming to be operating on behalf of either the Warm Zone or the council so please be sure to check the ID of any unknown visitors to your property. If in doubt then please give us a call on 01782 238443 to verify the identity before letting anyone inside your property!