Stevenage Borough Council has joined with councils across Hertfordshire to become one of the first in Britain to partner with Energy Saving Trust to provide an energy-efficiency app to help you cut energy use and help save carbon emissions.

The easy-to-use Hertfordshire Energy Advice Tool (HEAT) app gives a virtual tour around a typical home, asking questions and giving advice through each room. Based on the answers you give, quick, easy, low or no-cost actions are suggested to help you save money on your energy bills and cut your carbon footprint.

Once the virtual tour around the home has finished, a personalised advice report can be emailed, providing you with a summary of the potential energy and money savings. The average saving from using the HEAT app is estimated to be £70 a year.

Up to forty per cent of the borough's greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, including homes. By taking small steps to be more efficient at home, we can all help do our part to help tackle the climate emergency and help get Stevenage to net zero emissions by 2030.

Councillor John Gardner, Executive member for Environment and Regeneration said:

“The Hertfordshire Energy Advice Tool app is a great way for people in Stevenage to pinpoint how they can take immediate action in their homes to reduce energy use and help cut emissions.

With the effects of climate change accelerating along with the current energy crisis, this app is a helpful way for us to support our residents not only to reduce their energy use and take steps to reduce their carbon footprint but to save money too.”

The app was developed by the Energy Saving Trust, Britain’s leading trusted expert organisation on home energy efficiency. It is being launched by the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership (HCCSP) - making it available to all Hertfordshire residents.

The HEAT app is free to download and is available now on Google Play and Apple's App Store (search heatapp on your iPhone or iPad).