Hundreds of homes in the southeast of England and south Wales are to get a thorough health-check from 'Green Doctors' to treat the symptoms of fuel poverty, thanks to the environmental charity Groundwork.

While the economy is in turmoil and gas and electricity bills continue to rise, Groundwork's Green Doctor programme will be on-call to help cash-strapped householders by giving them advice and assistance that will improve the energy efficiency of their homes and save them money.

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The scheme will see fully trained experts make free house calls in North London, Slough and Reading and South Wales to conduct energy use audits. Using a combination of technical and non-technical measures, from fitting draught excluders to topping up loft insulation, the two-year programme will help 1,250 households save £100,000 while reducing CO2 emissions by up to 680 tonnes.

The UK's only not-for-profit energy supplier Ebico, who are backing the Green Doctors with a commitment to £120,000 funding through The Ebico Trust, are supporting the initiative as part of its Fuel Poverty Challenge - a commitment to reduce fuel bills in low-income households by £1,000,000 this year.

(CD/JM)