Older Not Colder: Free Home Energy Support

This project will close on 31 March 2026. If you need help or support after this date, please contact your local Care & Repair

Older Not Colder is a new service from Care & Repair that supports older people to keep their homes warm and energy bills down.

The service has Home Energy Officers working across Wales who visit and assess homes for free. They offer expert advice and can help you find funding if repairs or improvements are needed to keep a home warm.

Who is the service for?

To be eligible, you must be living in Wales, be over the age of 60 and own your home or privately rent.

How the service can help you:

• A free visit and assessment of your home.
• Free advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of your home.
• Guidance for those who are struggling with bills.
• Support with accessing the Warm Homes Programme.
• Support with accessing benefits that you are entitled to.
• Help to apply for grants that can keep your home warm.

How Older Not Colder Helped Bryn

The project recently helped 85-year-old Bryn, who has lived in his Newport home for almost 60 years. Last year Bryn’s boiler suddenly stopped working and he was facing a long winter in a cold home with no hot water. Bryn said: “My boiler had broken down and it wasn’t repairable, so I got in touch with Care & Repair. They then arranged for a boiler to be put in free of charge through a Welsh Government scheme. It was finished on 13th December, so it was just in time for Christmas!”

Bryn was thrilled with the outcome and all the support he received, he said: “It’s been exceptional – there’s always been someone phoning me up and making sure things were going alright, making sure the boiler was coming along, which I found very comforting.”

Paul Rydel, the Home Energy Officer in Newport, said: “Every day I meet people like Bryn who are struggling because their home is painfully cold or because they can’t afford their energy bills. The best thing about my role is being able to provide practical help and see the improvement it makes to people’s day-to-day lives.”