Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and partner organisations have launched a new support service to help residents save energy and support the city-region’s efforts to achieve net-zero by 2038.
The Feel the Benefit campaign aims to help residents understand how they can make changes to their homes to make them greener, warmer and cheaper to run.
The campaign will support residents with rising energy bills and improve their wellbeing while also supporting the city-region to meet its ambitious target to become net-zero twelve years ahead of the rest of the UK.
Cllr Tom Ross, Greater Manchester Lead for Green City-Region, said:
“Rising energy bills are a key contributor to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, with some residents forced to choose between heating their homes and paying for other life essentials. Heat loss from homes that are poorly insulated only makes this worse, with many residents still relying on heating technologies that are long overdue an upgrade.
“Our Feel the Benefit campaign is here to help residents make a change for the better. By raising awareness of what’s available and guiding residents through the process of upgrading their homes, we’ll help thousands lower their energy bills – not to mention supporting the push towards our ambitious, evidence-based target for Greater Manchester to become carbon neutral by 2038.”
Poorly insulated or inefficiently heated homes have a huge impact on the environment, and the built environment is currently among the biggest contributors to the UK’s carbon emissions. Cold homes can also exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular ill-health and dementia, as well as have a negative effect on mental wellbeing.
As part of the campaign, residents can check their eligibility for home upgrades using GMCA’s eligibility checker, which will also signpost to any financial support available.
In-person advise will also be available across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs with details below:
| District | Local partner | Telephone | |
| Bolton | Bolton Council / Bolton at Home | 01204 328 177 | lead@boltonathome.org.uk |
| Bury | Bury Council / The Growth Company | 0161 228 1111 | lola@greeneconomy.co.uk |
| Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, and Tameside | Groundwork Greater Manchester | 0800 090 3638 | Energyworks@groundwork.org.uk |
| Salford, Stockport, and Trafford | Your Home Better | 0161 883 7979 | LEAD@yourhomebetter.co.uk |
| Wigan | Wigan Council | 01942 489 209 | EnergyAdvice@wigan.gov.uk |
Additionally, residents can visit energy advice hubs at B&Q stores in Trafford Park and Cheetham Hill for in-person advice and support.
Support for homeowners comes alongside investment for social housing providers to make properties more energy efficient, as well as efforts by local authorities across Greater Manchester to reduce the carbon footprint of public buildings.
