How Ivy and Pamela, aged 98 and 74, have reduced their monthly energy bills AND are helping put energy back into the grid, thanks to our energy advice team
In April this year, Kerry Bates, Energy Advisor for Awel Aman Tawe, was invited to give an energy efficiency talk to the Cimla Unpaid Carers group at their weekly coffee morning. Kerry discussed a range of topics with everyone on how they could save money on their energy bills, including zero-cost and low-cost measures, comparing energy tariffs as well as seeking out grants available for possible solar PV, insulation and new heating systems.
A little while after this talk, one of the group leaders referred a household to the energy advice team for help. Ivy, aged 98, and her daughter Pamela, aged 74, live together as Ivy has dementia. Pamela is Ivy’s primary carer, providing her with 24 hour care. Ivy moved into their home in the Sandfields Estate, Port Talbot when it was a new build in 1951 and Pamela was brought up there – so it has been their home for 75 years.
The referral was made because their 20 year old boiler had broken down and their local plumber had subsequently condemned it. Pamela receives no support for the care she gives her mum and so no costs are covered. With this in mind, fitting a new boiler costing around £3,000 was not something that they could consider.
Kerry helped Ivy and Pamela apply for a NEST grant and through the help of the NEST team, they were able to establish that they met the criteria for a new boiler. Ivy and Pamela had no heating or hot water and, with Ivy’s dementia condition, this could have been critical. After careful discussion between Kerry and the NEST team, a brand new Ideal Logic condensing combi boiler was fitted by the NEST team of installers. Following a safety visit, the boiler was commissioned and turned on. Ivy and Pamela now have heating and hot water just in time before the cold weather returns, not to mention a brand new easy-to-use boiler thermostat and programmer.
To add to this great news, when Kerry originally visited Ivy and Pamela, he compiled a full energy efficiency assessment for them and noticed that they were on a variable tariff. With energy price increases just around the corner( on 1 July), Kerry helped them fix their energy prices with Octopus which meant a saving of £15 per month before the price increase. Since then, Octopus have recommended their monthly payment can be reduced by a further £17 per month, a saving of a whopping £32 off their monthly energy bills!
It didn’t stop there… Some years ago Pamela had purchased solar panels for the house as a gift for Ivy. As a result of Kerry’s assessment, he noticed that they didn’t have a solar export arrangement. Kerry spoke to Pamela’s solar installers, got them to gather the appropriate paperwork so that they could apply for solar export with Octopus. Now, on top of their earlier tariff savings, Ivy and Pamela benefit from solar export payments credited to their bill. Early measurements show that they receive between 50p and £1 per day from Octopus in respect of their excess solar generation that they are not using themselves.
In summary, Ivy and Pamela now have a more energy efficient boiler so they benefit from lower heating and hot water costs, plus their fixed price tariff has lowered their monthly outgoings. Their action has helped the environment too – they are now helping to generate solar energy not just for themselves, but they send their spare energy generation back to their energy supplier, helping to put less strain on our national grid. Ivy and Pamela have made savings, the environment has also made savings and the grid has just a little bit more energy to go around for the rest of us, thanks to Ivy and Pamela, aged 98 and 74 respectively.”
October 2026
