Money Box

Money Box takes a look at three innovative energy projects changing the way people heat their homes to try to improve efficiency and reduce bills.First up is the village of Swaffham Prior in Cambridgeshire where residents and the local council have backed a scheme using air source and ground source heat pumps to warm people's homes. A new, multi-million pound energy centre of the edge of the village provides the energy through a newly installed heat network for any residents of the village's 300 homes that want to join.Secondly, Dan Whitworth visits the University of Salford and the researchers behind its 'Energy House 2' project - a scheme which has seen two, modern, full-size, detached homes built by developers Barrett and Bellway inside a science laboratory. This allows scientists to create climate conditions to put the homes to the limit to test how effective they are at being energy efficient.Finally a visit to Gateshead examines a mine water scheme being run by the council which uses the warmed water of disused, flooded coal mines to help heat council buildings and homes. More than a dozen buildings run by the council, including the local college and Sage Gateshead are signed up to the scheme as well as hundreds of homes. We'll examine how practical is it and what kind of a difference the scheme makes to people's bills.Talking us through each of these schemes are Dr Tina Fawcett from the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University and Ben Whittle from the Energy Saving Trust. Presenter/Reporter/Producer: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial & Star McFarlane Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 28th December, 2022)

In a year when the cost of living has dominated so many of our programmes and of course your lives, we’ll return to some of the organisations and individuals helping families cope with rising energy prices, soaring food costs and prices that only go one way - up.Paul Lewis is joined by a community interest company which focuses on fuel poverty - Warm Wales, Broke not Broken foodbank in Kinross and the South Manchester Credit Union. We'll hear from just a few of the listeners who we've helped this year to keep more of their money. We have Money Box's top five Christmas crackers – tips to save you money in 2023. And the Maelgwn Male Voice Choir in Llandudno sings some carols.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Clare Worden Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Star McFarlane Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 24th December, 2022)

Christmas is a time for giving and often that means charitable donations. New research from the Charities Aid Foundation suggests fewer people are supporting good causes because of the rising cost of living putting pressure on their finances. In this episode of Money Box Live, we’re talking to charity founders about how the finances of their organisations are impacted. We'll also be joined by Caron Bradshaw, the CEO of the Charity Finance Group, and Alison Taylor, CEO of CAF Bank, from the Charities Aid Foundation.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 21st December, 2022)

We discuss this week's Scottish Budget, from income tax to benefits. Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced that everyone earning more than £43,662 in Scotland will have to pay more income tax next year. It's as the higher rate of tax increases from 41p to 42p in the pound in April, and the top rate from 46p to 47p. We'll get reaction to that from people in Glasgow and analysis from Emma Congreve an economist who is Deputy Director at the Fraser of Allander Institute in Strathclyde. This month, we've seen freezing temperatures which, for millions of households, have triggered Cold Weather Payments. These are paid to some people in low income households who get means-tested benefits to help pay their higher energy bills during a cold snap. Payments of £25 are made automatically when the average temperature in an area is recorded or forecast to be at zero degrees celcius or below for seven consecutive days. We discuss who's eligible and how it works.Interest rates rose again this week for the ninth time in a row - from 3% to 3.5%, its highest level for 14 years. The decision will increase monthly mortgage payments for some homeowners at a time when many people are struggling with all the other rises in the cost of living. The Bank of England predicted this week that people with mortgages who need to refinance next year to a new fixed rate will face an average monthly increase of around £250 - that's £3000 a year. What does that mean for you?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Clare Worden and Dan Whitworth Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12noon, Saturday 17th December, 2022)

At some point in our lives, we all experience the death of family, friends or partners, and it is never easy. It's made worse - by what can feel like an uncaring and unnecessarily complex bureaucracy which can make dealing with your family finances difficult, draining and confusing. In this podcast, we hear the experiences of some who have gone through these problems and we look at strategies to help.On the expert panel are, Nick Hill, Senior Advice Manager at Money and Pensions Service, and Melinda Giles, Council Member for Private Client Solicitors at The Law Society.Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 14th December, 2022)

It's going to be the coldest weekend of the year so far. We already know that typical energy bills will be double what they were last winter. So everyone is looking for ways to use less electricity and gas at the same time as trying to stay warm. One solution is being offered by so-called 'warm banks' - places where people can go to keep warm if they're struggling to afford heating costs. The Warm Welcome campaign now has more than three thousand places open on its website and says last week alone 80 thousand people kept warm in one of them - up by more than a fifth on the previous week. We visit Widnes library and speak to the organisers of the campaign. If you’re looking for somewhere to go to keep warm the website is https://www.warmwelcome.uk/Losing your spouse or civil partner is always a difficult time financially - the funeral, paying bills and losing a second income all add to the stress. There is money from the government to help - totalling more than £4,000 for those without children and nearly £10,000 for those with. This Bereavement Support Payment was introduced in April 2017 and is paid to surviving partners who are under the state pension age of 66. We discuss how to get it and how to avoid missing out.A third of all bank and building society branches have closed in the last decade. One solution to this is a new expansion of banking hubs. Our reporter Clare Worden visits the opening of a new hub in East Yorkshire. And how to make sure you don’t lose out on claiming a Cost of Living Payment to help with energy bills.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Clare Worden Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Star McFarlane Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 10th December, 2022)

As households grapple with cost of living pressures and with Christmas just around the corner, many will be looking for cheaper options for the big day.We speak to listeners who share with us how they’ll be managing their finances this festive period.On the expert panel are, Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs at StepChange Debt Charity and Carol Mitchell, Retail Expert at British Heart Foundation.Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Amber Mehmood and Clare Worden Reporter: Star McFarlane Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 7th December, 2022)

An new report suggests children are put at risk by 'loot boxes' in video games. More than a thousand steelworkers will share compensation of £49 million for pension mis-selling, but campaigners say it is unfair and inadequate. HSBC will close a quarter of its remaining branches next year. It is offering some customers free computer tablets instead. And more on spray foam - a plea for it not to be included in the Government's new £1 billion energy efficiency scheme because of the frequent problems it causes in getting a mortgage.

3.6 million couples in the UK cohabit, meaning they live together in a relationship but without getting married or civil partnered. In fact, they are the fastest growing type of family in this countryIf those couples break up then they usually split their shared finances without the help of courts or solicitors. In fact, splitting after buying a house or sharing bills together has become known as the ‘millennial divorce’ – only it doesn’t just affect millennials and there are none of the protections of divorce. That can make a big difference when it comes to splitting assets like the family home or pension savings.We're talking about this today because the government has recently said it won't be addressing recommendations for cohabitation law reforms - for England and Wales.The experts on this panel are Laura Pomfret, the founder of Financielle, an app and service focused on helping women manage their finances, and Graeme Fraser, head of family at BBS Law.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Star McFarlane Editor: Clare Worden

We hear from a man whose home was valued at zero pounds which his mortgage provider said was because his loft was insulated with spray foam.70,000 victims of fraud are sent texts by the police asking them to make contact - but will their bank text them too?People from diverse ethnic backgrounds are paid less than people in the UK who are white. We ask why, and what can be done about it?