Energy Redress Funding - Round 6 Outcome

The following projects have been successful in securing funding in round 6 of the Energy Redress Scheme. Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) the successful grantees will be given the chance to adjust their delivery proposals to cope with the current crisis.

 

Round 6 Small Project fund
Grant Size: Minimum grant amount £20,000 - maximum grant amount £49,999
Priority: Support energy consumers in vulnerable situations

 

Groundwork London
Fuel-poverty advice for Barnet/ Brent (FABB)
£49,768

This project aims to support 700 vulnerable households across Brent and Barnet to improve energy efficiency, build resilience to fuel poverty, save money and better represent consumer interests in the energy market.

The project will target low-income residents, older people and residents living with physical health issues or mental illness by providing a combination of home energy visits, targeted energy café events and frontline staff training. Trialling a new approach to outreach by linking with existing community hubs in highly deprived Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs).

 

Age UK Solihull
Solihull Home Energy Advice Project
£49,696

Supporting residents in vulnerable situations, Age UK Solihull will improve their knowledge and skills in energy and provide longer-term benefits to residents' health and wellbeing. 

This project will support clients accessing Community Advice Hubs with face to face energy advice, supporting all age groups and tenures, especially in North and Central Solihull. 500 unique households to be supported and each will receive an individually tailored plan of energy support and where necessary, onward referrals for support through wider Community Well-being partners.

 

Marches Energy Agency
Telford Energy Advice (TEA)
£36,713.31

An energy advice project to be delivered in the Telford & Wrekin area that aims to reach 10% of fuel poor homes through freephone, face-2-face advice, events, mobile exhibition and frontline staff training. Small measures will also be available to those who have home visits.

The plan is to support 770 households through drop-in sessions, home visits and a Freephone advice-line. They will also attend 20 community events and take an exhibition van to high-footfall events to support 200 people. Briefings provided to ten organisations, to reach 150 frontline staff, targeting health and social care.

 

Care Network (Blackburn with Darwen) Ltd
Warm and Tariff Checked Homes (WaTCH) 
£49,909.38

The Project aims to greatly expand their Healthy Homes programme that provides energy advice to distinct vulnerable groups including those with a Learning Disability, people with Autism and people living with a dementia.

The provision of in-depth advice and follow up support is projected to to reach 178 clients and lighter touch advice to more. They are looking to maximise long-term benefits for beneficiaries by providing advice to keep safe and warm, budgeting support around bills, energy efficiency and onward referrals to partner agencies.

 

Paisley Housing Association
Paisley Energy Savings Team
£46,783.72

A project to provide intensive support to their most vulnerable tenants including those with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions; first tenancies and low-income households with children. 450 households will be provided with energy and financial advice, onward referrals for wider health and well being support plus small measures including LEDs and thermal curtains.

The purchase of a thermal imaging camera will engage tenants which will be shared with other social landlords and the provision of 10 energy advice group sessions to attract 200 residents from the wider community to increase the awareness of the issues caused by fuel poverty.

 

St Andrews Environmental Network Ltd
Warm Up Rural NEF
£46,783.72

A project to deliver a home energy advice service in homes around Cupar and Newburgh. Targeting 9000 rural properties, each of which will receive an advice leaflet outlining simple steps householders can take to reduce energy use and information on the wider project.

Furthermore, the project will deliver 60 energy events designed to reach 1500 residents and support 500 of them with in-depth advice; undertake 100 home visits for those identified as fuel poor that will receive a detailed energy audit, installation of small measures including LEDs, radiator panels & draught proofing plus onward referrals to Citizens Advice where required.

The project will enable the charity to have a qualified energy adviser based in their new Mental Health hubs, to support the most vulnerable people in their communities with home energy issues.

 

Round 6 Main Fund 
Grant Size: Minimum grant amount £50,000 - maximum grant amount £2 million
Priority: Support energy consumers in vulnerable situations 

 

Cumbria Action for Sustainability
Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria
£217,435.00

Energy Advisors will provide home energy visits, plus phone, email and online support, as well as other face to face advice. The service will provide energy saving measures, at the advice visit and at a subsequent home visit.

The team will also refer to other support including fire safety checks, home hazards, winter fuel hardship payments, benefits advice, local winter warmth grant funding and advise on further measures available. This will be accomplished by building and training a wide network of energy champions. The project will also undertake further research into the effectiveness of draught proofing measures in the home. 

 

National Energy Foundation (NEF)
Better Housing Better Health
£119,256.25

The expansion of a warmth and well-being service across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and into Milton Keynes. NEF will provide 1500 vulnerable households with in-depth support, deliver 60 staff training events to reach 360 frontline professionals and a further 60 public outreach sessions engaging with over 1000 consumers face-to-face.

Engagement will focus in specific areas of deprivation and the Better Housing Better Health charity managed by NEF will work intensively with frontline health and social care professionals to encourage referrals from those in everyday contact with the target group. 

 

Sefton OPERA 
Sefton 'Silver Savers' Roadshow 
£118,472.00

Sefton’s 'Silver Savers' Roadshow will target hard to reach older, vulnerable and isolated energy consumers living in the Sefton area. Encouraging them to save energy, save money and spread the message by becoming peer mentors. This will be delivered by Sefton O.P.E.R.A (Older Persons Enabling Resource & Action) with a team of volunteers, local older persons groups and Sefton's Affordable Warmth Team.

 

Menter Cwm Gwendraeth Elli
Fuel Poverty Action Carmarthenshire
£127,970.00

Fuel Poverty Action Carmarthenshire will provide energy advice and support for vulnerable people in Carmarthenshire. The advice will be delivered in the Council's three Customer Advice Hubs in Ammanford, Carmarthen & Llanelli, along with outreach hubs in other rural areas to maximize accessibility for isolated communities. The support will be delivered bilingually and some small energy saving measures will be provided to residents at the roadshows & advice sessions.

 

Centre for Sustainable Energy
ABLE (Assisting B&NES on Local Energy)
£191,000.00

The project will support disabled (including older/frail) people in Bath & North East Somerset. It will fund a team of fuel poverty advisors to deliver support to the target audience, will train local volunteers, including those who are disabled to provide advice and work with local frontline health, social care agencies, charities, council and Housing Association (Curo), to identify people needing the support.Those living in heritage homes (common in Bath) will receive tailored conservation-specific advice and partners will be trained to understand fuel poverty and refer to the project.

 

Shetland Islands Citizens Advice Bureau
Warmer Homes for the Shetland Islands
£93,066.50

Warmer Homes for the Shetland Islands will provide tailored energy advice across the Shetland Islands, particularly targeting vulnerable people. The project will be delivered through outreach advice sessions and energy awareness events in rural and island communities. 

Support offered will include an understanding bills and tariffs, reducing energy consumption through behaviour change, liaison with energy providers, tackling fuel debt and referral for support with energy efficiency measures through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) referral portal.

 

Middlesbrough Environment City Trust
Cosy Homes South Tees
£108,601.04

The project will create energy advice provision in Redcar & Cleveland, developing the proactive approach already used in Middlesbrough and providing consistency across the South Tees Affordable Warmth Partnership area.

Provision of an extensive one-to-one advice programme with a strong focus on families, developing a robust referral pathway to support vulnerable clients through energy advice, access to energy efficiency measures, income maximisation and wellbeing support.

 

Bassetlaw Citizens Advice Bureau
Be Savvy - Be Energy Smart!
£197,804.00

A two-year project to reach disadvantaged vulnerable consumers within Bassetlaw District, Nottinghamshire, to support them to ‘Be Savvy – Be Energy Smart!’ in meeting their energy needs and tackling fuel poverty.

The project will deliver different depths of interaction providing energy advice to both individual consumers and local front-line organisations and will target clients identified as disadvantaged from the local Cancer support centre (Aurora Wellbeing Centre), Foodbanks and Estate agents.

 

Motherwell and Wishaw Citizens Advice Bureau                  
Community Advice to Reduce Energy Spending
£278,232.64

Partnering with Airdrie CAB they will provide a single, trusted point of contact for vulnerable energy consumers across North Lanarkshire experiencing issues around energy usage and debt situations including food bank users.

Tenants and homeowners will access multi-channel support (phone, email, webchat, face to face and home visits) and their holistic approach will ensure they challenge all aspects of fuel poverty affecting the clients.

The project includes Home Energy Assessments for 700 households in fuel poverty and provision of small energy saving measures, energy inductions for vulnerable new Registered Social Landlord tenants and referrals to HES to access government schemes for appropriate households.

 

Purbeck Citizens Advice Bureau
Money to Burn
£351,586.37

The project will help vulnerable consumers in Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole by providing in-depth energy advice to 2000 vulnerable consumers from three new Energy Affordability Advisors. These new advisors will target people claiming benefits and match funding towards 500 Surviving Winter grants to people in fuel poverty, who are claiming Universal Credit and/or who are aged over 50.

The Surviving Winter Appeal is an annual fundraising initiative led by Dorset Community Foundation that collects unwanted Winter Fuel Payments and gives the funding out in £200 grants to households in fuel poverty.

 

Family Action
Bradford Energy Advice
£107,037.00

The project will see two new qualified energy advisors join the Family Action team to deliver high quality energy, fuel poverty and income maximisation advice for vulnerable energy consumers in Bradford. Advice will be delivered through in-depth face-to-face appointments at their advice centre and appropriate community venues, home visits to housebound people, telephone/email advice and via workshops in community organisations.

Key areas of advice will include energy saving behavioural advice, information on supplier obligations, understanding energy bills, switching suppliers and income maximisation advice.  

 

Bromley by Bow Centre
Empower You Too
£269,195.66

The Empower You Too project will be delivered in partnership by the Bromley by Bow Centre, Citizens Advice East End, Age UK East London and Poplar Harca, providing essential energy advice to 2,350 people in vulnerable communities in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham.

Training for 80 community volunteers as Energy Champions across the four organisations will enable them to advise peers on a wide variety of energy issues through appropriate means of engagement and making onward referrals for more in-depth support and measures.

The project will also develop a toolkit and training resources for other community organisations wishing to take on independent delivery of the energy awareness qualification and energy champion led approach.

 

Community Advice and law Service
Energy Wise
£435,048.75

The project will offer comprehensive advice and support for energy customers in vulnerable situations by helping them to manage their energy accounts, budget effectively and enhance their income by securing benefits entitlements.

The service will be delivered by three new energy advisers providing information and training events, one-to-one advice. The advisers will also be trained as ‘Money Buddies’ to ensure clients have sound home budgeting skills.

The project will be delivered through a partnership with up to ten organisations across the city, serving communities that experience high levels of economic disadvantage to ensure good referral networks are established.

 

Caudwell Children
Keeping Disabled Children Warm
£390,806.13

Caudwell Children will utilise their expertise in supporting parents/carers of disabled children to identify, engage and support families to address energy efficiency and affordability. Working in partnership with Auriga, a specialist advice organisation, 10,000 families will receive energy information and 2,000 families will have detailed home surveys, efficiency advice, and income maximisation advice, appropriate to their needs. 

 

Citizens Advice Calderdale
Keeping Calderdale Cosy
£69,471.00

The ‘Keeping Calderdale Cosy’ project will visit 200+ vulnerable clients at home to support them with a wide variety of home energy issues and income maximisation work and will deliver a preventative programme of information sessions to at least 500 people over two years. The project will also provide training for at least 100 front line workers, including their own advisers and volunteers.

 

Northumbrian Citizens Advice Bureau
Redress to Reassess Northumberland
£258,691.72

A partnership of Citizens Advice Northumberland and Northumberland Community Blind Association. The project links two organisations with a history of delivering support to some of the county’s most vulnerable residents and will provide in depth face-to-face energy efficiency, accessibility and fuel related solutions to fuel poor households across Northumberland.

The advice and advocacy include support around income maximisation, reducing fuel costs through switching, membership of community oil schemes and energy saving behaviour. Low Vision Coordinators and specialist volunteers will help those with sensory impairment to make use of technology to help them better manage their energy use.

 

Venus Working Creatively with Young Women
Energy Support Project
£88,100.80

This project will provide advice, support and advocacy concerning affordable energy and fuel poverty to vulnerable women and families living in South Sefton. The project will employ an Energy Support Co-ordinator who will work with a team of Money Management Mentor volunteers to deliver the project at the Venus Centre through drops ins and phone/email consultations.

They will deliver an outreach service within the family home, at drop-ins at local family centres and through a pilot of a new Meanwhile Money Management Shop such as pop-up spaces in local shopping centre.

 

Lancashire Women
Energy Advice for Lancashire Women
£329,772.50

Eight of Lancashire Women’s staff members will be trained to provide energy advice to their existing client base, most of whom are in vulnerable situations. This energy advice would be integrated into one-to-one sessions delivered through their money advice service and also delivered through standalone sessions on energy advice as well as delivered through workshops and events focused on energy advice plus integrated into wider projects and support delivered across the Lancashire Women service

 

Argyll, Lomond and the Isles Energy Agency
Argyll Energy Advice Service
£338,650.50

Provision of a home energy advice service for the diverse communities of Argyll and Bute, with a focus on off-gas households. Households will be supported to access alternative suppliers, meters or tariffs, implement energy saving measures and behaviours, access schemes and reduce bills, using a mix of telephone advice, home visits and drop-in events.

The project will be promoted widely through collaborating organisations, using both traditional methods and focused social media that gives energy advice specific to Argyll housing types, in English and Gaelic.

 

Lancashire BME Network Ltd
Energy 360
£439,313.20

A partnership of five organisations will see ten energy advisors trained to deliver face-to-face energy saving advice to 1350 Black, Minority Ethnic (BME) households in Pennine Lancashire, so that they can access and benefit from specialist energy advice. The interventions will be delivered in a culturally sensitive way, in various community languages and from community venues to ensure accessibility. 

The advisors will work closely with beneficiaries, offering a tailored support package including home energy health checks, benefit maximisation checks, letter reading/writing, interpreting, advocacy, signposting and referrals onwards.

 

Maryhill Housing
Energy Saving in North West Glasgow
£148,192.00

Maryhill Housing and Queens Cross Housing Association will provide an energy advice service to over 10,000 households across North West Glasgow.  They will employ two energy advisors who will support residents to save energy and reduce their bills.

Energy advice will be offered through drop in surgeries, individual appointments (home visits where appropriate), educational demonstrations, YouTube videos and community events.

Round 5 Innovation Fund
Grant Size: Minimum grant amount £50,000 - maximum grant amount £750,000 
Priority: The development of products and/or services, which are genuinely innovative and not currently accessible to energy consumers or certain groups of energy consumers.

 

National Energy Action
Increasing the consumption of solar PV
£138,809

The project will deliver support and advice to over 7000 low income and vulnerable households with PV (Solar Photovoltaic) technology on their homes to maximise use of the solar energy and reduce energy bills.

Working with social housing providers the project will identify properties in three locations in England, develop and disseminate easy to understand information, provide intensive support where needed, and provide small measures to support with optimising benefits of the system.

Information leaflets will be complemented by a suite of videos and web-based resources. Complementary bespoke training on PV and battery storage will be offered to front line workers operating in the target areas.

Households receiving information can seek further support via telephone, advice clinics or home visits. NEA will conduct an independent evaluation of the PV system performance and small measures provided to appropriate households. The project will establish the usefulness of these technologies in maximising PV energy use and reducing energy bills.

In addition, NEA will identify any misbehaving PV systems, assessing the impact of this failure on bills, and investigate barriers to repairs, reporting and discussing this with the relevant system owners. The long-term performance of systems will be assessed and downtime due to faults investigated. The impact of ownership models (social landlord or ‘rent a roof’ / existing servicing agreement) will be considered.