Energy efficiency and conservation
The Council is responsible under the Home Energy Conservation Act to report on the percentage of energy efficiency improvements in the housing stock in the Borough. The Council also works in partnership with other agencies to advise, educate and promote energy efficiency schemes, grants and discounts to residents in the Borough.
The Council's Current Energy Saving Initiatives
Getting a Better Energy Deal with Collective Switching 
Could you be paying less for energy?
No time to shop around to compare prices?
Let us do the hard work for you
The Council is organising its first ever collective energy switching scheme.
You can sign up for Energy Deal from 22 April 2013, up to and including 3 June 2013. The scheme aims to save you money by negotiating on behalf of a group of households to bring down the cost of energy.
The energy auction will take place on 4 June 2013 and you will be contacted shortly after with an offer, calculated based on your energy usage. Only then do you decide whether you wish to accept the winning supplier’s offer.
The scheme offers a new way to save on your gas and electricity. What’s more, switching has never been so easy thanks to the support and guidance available through Energy Deal.
Interested in taking part? Then sign up at www.energydealswitch.com
Home Energy Conservation Act (1995) March 2013 Report
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have replaced existing statutory guidance on the Home Energy Conservation Act (1995) with a revised version.
All English Authorities with housing responsibilities are asked to prepare a report setting out the local energy conservation measures that the authority or group of authorities consider practical, cost effective and likely to significantly improve the energy efficiency of residential accommodation in its area.
The guidance asks authorities to publish their first report by 31 March 2013. Authorities are then required to report progress on 31 March 2015.
The Dartford Home Energy and Fuel Poverty Action Plan 2012 – 2015 March 2013 Report was noted at Dartford Borough Council Cabinet 7 March 2013 Item 166.
Warm Home Scheme
The Warm Homes Scheme delivered as part of the Kent and Medway Green Deal Partnership (K&MGDP), (which Dartford Borough Council is a member) recently procured an Energy Company Obligation (ECO) provider to deliver energy efficiency improvement to properties across the Kent.
The winner of the process for the delivery of the £60m+ project across the county is Enterprise, funded by npower.
The scheme offers both social housing tenants and private property owners the opportunity to insulate their homes to make it more energy efficient and save money on your energy bills.
The scheme is funded and is provided at no cost to the individual or Dartford Borough Council and is part of the Governments Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which offers energy saving improvements to your home which could include:
- Cavity wall insulation
- Loft insulation
- Draught proofing
- Solid wall insulation
As a leading stakeholder in the Kent and Medway Green Deal Partnership we have become the pilot project for the Kent wide scheme and based on energy data have decided that Swanscombe should be the first area to benefit from this.
We have therefore identified 700+ properties as being potentially being suitable and anticipate that will identify 200 properties who will actually receive the energy efficiency measures being a mix of council stock and private properties.
We estimate that physical work will commence in the summer.
The engagement process, which will begin week commencing 20 May and will begin by Enterprise hand delivering a letter & leaflet (leaflet attached) to the properties identified as being potentially suitable.
Properties for the pilot scheme that have been identified are within the roads listed below:
Alamein Road
Alkerden Lane
All Saints Church, Galley Hill Road
Ames Road
Broad Road
Broomfield Road
Bushfield Walk
Butcher Walk
Caspian Way
Castle Street
Chapel Court, Milton Road
Childs Crescent
Craylands Lane
Durrant Way
Eglington House, Swanscombe Street
Eglington Road
Griffin Court
Galley Hill Road
Gunn Road
Gasson Road
High Street
Gilbert Close
Irving Walk
Kingsdale Court
Lewis Road
Milton Close
Milton Street
Manor Road
Moore Road
Mayfield
Munford Drive
Orchard Road
Park Road
Penstemmon Drive
Phoenix Court
Radburn Place
Robinson Way
St Peters Close
Stanhope Road
Stanley Road
Sun Road
Swanscombe Street
Taunton Road
The Grove
Trebble Road
Wallace Gardens
Talk to a member of the Energy Team