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<h1>The Affordable Warmth Programme</h1>
<p>
The Affordable Warmth Programme sees Transco working with Government and key agencies to improve the level of comfort in up to one million homes from the social housing sector (local authorities and housing associations) through facilitating the installation of efficient gas central heating systems. Efficient heating is provided to the household in conjunction with energy efficiency measures and advice. Grants for energy efficiency measures can be sought from energy companies or funded by the local authorities or housing associations themselves.</p>
<h2>A fuel poor household</h2>
<p>A fuel poor household is one that needs to spend in excess of 10% of household income in order to maintain an adequate standard of warmth. This is generally defined as 21°C in the living room & 18°C in the other rooms.</p>
<p>Causes of fuel poverty are a combination of factors:</p>
<ul>
<li>Poor energy efficiency in the home</li>
<li>Fuel costs</li>
<li>Household income</li>
<li>Dwelling size</li>
</ul>
<h2>Energy efficiency in homes</h2>
<p>Energy efficiency in homes is measured on a scale of 1 to 100, the higher the number the better. This is referred to as the standard assessment procedure (SAP) rating. In England the average sap rating is 35, with ratings of 20 or less regarded as failing to meet the minimum health based heating standard.</p>
<p>Excess winter deaths, where a higher number of people die as a result of the cold, are high in the UK. Countries with much more severe winters than the UK experience comparatively low variations of mortality across the seasons. Even parts of Siberia, for example, have a lower winter excess mortality than the UK. This seems to confirm, by and large, that the UK's poor housing stock, particularly in energy efficiency terms, is one of the crucial factors to a persons health.</p>
<h2>Links</h2>
<p><a href="content/howitworks.htm">What we do</a></p>
<p><a href="content/contact.htm">Contact us</a></p>
<p><a href="http://transcoservices.ngtserver1.co.uk/contact/awform2.html">Register an interest</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.transco.co.uk">Transco web site</a></p>
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