Switched On Portsmouth was launched in November 2019 by Portsmouth City Council. The primary aim of the service was to provide free support, initiatives and advice to residents in order to help them save energy, money and carbon at home.

The service, managed by the council's in-house energy services team, has now published its second annual Impact Report.

The 2020-2021 Switched On Portsmouth Impact Report, can be viewed here.

From £56,000 of pre-payment fuel vouchers offered to 676 households during the coronavirus pandemic, to 420 first time central heating installations for the city's most vulnerable people - the report covers the wide range of vital work completed from June 2020 to May 2021.

With an ever expanding offer, Switched On Portsmouth can currently provide homes with energy advice, emergency boiler replacements, first time central heating, insulation and even fully funded solar panels to eligible Portsmouth residents.

The team has recently won £9.3 million of funding to facilitate the installation of solar panels, solid wall insulation and air source heat pumps in residents' homes. All of which are being installed at no cost to eligible households.

Additionally, Switched On Solar which launched in February 2021 allows Portsmouth residents to see how well suited their home is for solar panels, using just their postcode. To date, over 2,500 Portsmouth addresses have been analysed, all for free!

Councillor Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Green Recovery, welcomed the publication of this year's report, "Switched On Portsmouth has gone from strength to strength in the last 2 years since its formation in 2019. More households in Portsmouth have received vital help and support allowing them to save energy and money in their home, as detailed in this latest impact report. With additional funding under its belt and plans to roll out supportive schemes and measures to even more people in the city, I'm looking forward to seeing what is achieved in the next 12 months."

Despite the encouraging statistics in the impact report, more than 1 in 10 households in Portsmouth still struggle to afford their energy bills.  This ‘fuel poverty’ negatively impacts on societal, mental and physical wellbeing; and households often needing to decide between heating and eating.

Switched On Portsmouth has been successful in expanding the scope and scale of the services on offer to residents in the city and surrounding areas. This has meant that more homes suffering from fuel poverty can be helped; but also that the team can offer support to all households in city, whatever their situation or need.

To speak to one of the team about the support on offer, please call 0800 260 5907 or visit www.switchedonportsmouth.co.uk