Funded Energy Redress Projects

Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Services (CHESS) aims to work with front line workers and volunteers to support vulnerable households to reduce their energy bills and experience the associated health benefits of maintaining a warm home. CHESS will train and support frontline workers and volunteers to identify and support households in or at risk of fuel poverty. Experienced Energy Advisors will provide energy efficiency advice by phone, undertake home energy visits, offer funding to help clear fuel debt or buy oil where people cannot afford to heat their homes and make referrals to other providers. The project will address the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID-19, such as unpaid energy bill debt, rising fuel poverty levels and will provide households with the information and resources needed to stay warm and healthy, whilst cutting costs and carbon.

The project will deliver energy advice to over 3000 families in vulnerable situations in Essex, Southend and Thurrock. There will be four new, qualified Family Energy Advice Workers who will work exclusively with key providers of children and family services to support families in the greatest need. 200 workers and volunteers working for the partner organisations will be offered support and training to increase awareness of fuel poverty and the benefits of the service. Families will be helped to stabilise and maximise income, deal with fuel and other debts, get better deals and resolve disputes with energy companies and will have access to legal advice to help them deal with landlord issues.  

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary, life-shortening, neurological illness. HD families face incredible disadvantage and severe financial challenges. The Scottish Huntington's Association's financial wellbeing officers will provide income maximisation advice, debt advice, future planning and support to households living with HD. A new energy officer will provide intensive energy advice support to HD clients and will up-skill the existing team. The aim is to reduce fuel poverty and raise awareness of energy efficiencies by providing intensive support with lasting solutions, to the their highly vulnerable client base.

The Citizens Advice Mid Lincolnshire (CAML) Energy Project will provide one-to-one advice and casework for clients in fuel poverty or at risk of fuel poverty. All energy appointments will be tailored to the individuals needs and address issues such as: understanding tariffs, bills and fuel options, energy efficiency measures and grants available, as well as benefit entitlement checks and assistance in claiming benefits. Clients will be assisted via electronic face to face, actual face to face, telephone and email with a view to providing clients with lifelong skills, resulting in an improvement to their health and well-being.

Warmer Homes West Midlands is an ambitious partnership programme to provide a universal, top-level energy advice service for the fuel poor across the seven urban local authority areas in the West Midlands Combined Authority area. This is a large-scale energy advice programme will help over 7,000 vulnerable households, create nine new jobs and help secure a further eight jobs. The project aims to reduce fuel poverty and improve the health and wellbeing of people with pre-existing cold and damp related medical conditions, through energy saving advice, energy saving measures an income maximisation advice. Advice will be delivered by a team of qualified energy advisors by telephone, through case work, home visits and community events where it is safe to do so. A team of community outreach workers will ensure that as wide a range of people as possible will be able to take advantage of Warmer Homes West Midlands.

Arun and Chichester Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice 1066 are developing a new regional energy advice service across Sussex, Brighton and Hove. The service will be available to all vulnerable people currently in fuel poverty with a focus on targeting those impacted by COVID-19 who are “clinically extremely vulnerable”. They will also replicate the highly effective Citizens Advice 1066 phone service delivered in East Sussex and training will be provided to over 600 Citizens Advice volunteer general advisers to maximise reach and embed a culture of tackling fuel poverty. 

Citizens Advice Rossendale & Hyndburn & the Homewise Society will deliver a holistic energy advice service to the most vulnerable households in Rossendale, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley. The service will be delivered face-to-face with outreach and home visits (where possible), over the phone and by email, helping people to access energy saving measures & services, as well as the support they need for emotional, physical and financial health. Advisers and volunteers will be trained to provide quality fuel advice and the partnership ensures households have access to additional services such as a trusted handyman, minor aids and adaptations and independent living services.