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For more than two decades, Warm Wales has been at the forefront of tackling one of society’s most enduring challenges, fuel poverty. Established 21 years ago, the organisation’s mission has always been to help people across Wales and the South West of England live in warmer, safer, and more energy-efficient homes.
At its core, Warm Wales is driven by a simple but powerful belief: everyone deserves the right to a warm and comfortable home. To achieve that, the organisation focuses on two central priorities, improving income for households in vulnerable situations and making homes more energy efficient and affordable to heat.
Chief Executive Jonathan Cosson explains that Warm Wales’ approach is both practical and compassionate.
“Fuel poverty is often about more than energy bills, it’s about low incomes and limited access to support. Through our income maximisation work, we help people boost their disposable income by carrying out benefit checks and connecting them with the financial assistance they’re entitled to,” he said.
That work is supported through partnerships with organisations such as Welsh Water, housing associations and local authorities, ensuring that vulnerable individuals and families aren’t left behind. Every successful intervention means a family less worried about heating their home and more focused on building a stable future.
Equally important is the organisation’s drive to improve the housing stock itself. Many of the homes Warm Wales supports are poorly insulated, inefficient and costly to heat. Through government-backed schemes such as ECO and NEST, the team helps secure funding for vital improvements that make homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
Working in partnership with housing associations, private landlords and homeowners, Warm Wales has earned a reputation as a trusted delivery partner, and increasingly as the first point of contact for those tackling energy efficiency challenges across the region.
In recent years, the organisation has expanded its remit to include health and wellbeing, recognising the clear links between poor housing and poor health. Collaborating with Public Health Wales and local health boards, Warm Wales is now delivering preventative programmes that address the root causes of illness linked to cold, damp homes, reducing both hardship and pressure on health services.
As Cosson explains, this evolution reflects the organisation’s broader vision for the future.
“Reducing fuel poverty isn’t just about short-term fixes,” he said. “It’s about creating systems that work for people, for communities and for the planet. Our vision is of a Wales where no household has to choose between heating and eating, where homes are warm, energy-efficient and affordable to run.”
After 21 years of progress, Warm Wales continues to play a central role in building a fairer, more sustainable Wales.
Its work stands as a reminder that collaboration between public, private and third sector partners can drive lasting change, and that tackling fuel poverty is about more than keeping homes warm. It’s about improving lives.
