Funded Energy Redress Projects

Building on existing work as a community partnership to help vulnerable people in North Birmingham who are impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, the project will deliver a community-based fuel poverty advice and advocacy service. This will expand the availability of dedicated fuel poverty support, offered through energy cafes, a phone line, drop-in, community events, and in-depth case work.  It will build upon the existing help with the impact of increasing fuel bills to make a positive difference to people experiencing increased stress as a result of fuel price increases and to alleviate the impact on anxiety, depression and mental health caused by fuel poverty.

Arun and Chichester Citizens Advice (ACCA) and Citizens Advice 1066 (CA1066) will work in partnership to expand the existing Tackling Fuel Poverty Together Programme and provide high-level energy advice to the most vulnerable groups at risk of disconnection due to the cost-of-living crisis through single point of contact (SPOC) telephone/video advice services. The programme will: expand the West and East Sussex SPOC services to deal with increased demand; deliver awareness training to external front line staff and training updates to Citizens Advice volunteers; and distribute fuel vouchers to vulnerable fuel poor households. The service will be promoted in areas of high-level deprivation.

Community Action Northumberland (CAN) is committed to reducing carbon emissions, increasing household energy efficiency and reducing fuel poverty in the rural communities of Northumberland. The project will deliver trusted independent carbon reduction advice and support to rural households off the gas grid who face the most challenging response to the removal of fossil fuels. A dedicated officer will provide independent advice to off-gas grid households to maximise their energy efficiency and identify the optimal options for transition to non-fossil fuels. Support will be given to individual households to implement carbon reduction installations, utilising external grant support available. A series of energy roadshows in rural communities across the area will be conducted.

Rising energy costs and spiralling cost of living mean that now more than ever people with cancer are facing severe financial hardship. Macmillan’s Energy Advice Team exists to support people with cancer by providing energy advice, financial support and signposting to other fuel poverty services. Macmillan Cancer Support’s ambition is to create more sustainable solutions for people with cancer, partnering with energy companies to better support vulnerable customers and alleviate fuel poverty. To ensure they can meet the growing demand at an unprecedented level, salary costs of energy and welfare advisers will be supported by funding.

The project will target unpaid carers, living in the borough of Sefton. Project delivery will be led by Sefton Carers Centre, supported by volunteers and partnering with Sefton's Affordable Warmth Team. The project aims to reduce the number of carers experiencing fuel poverty through the delivery of energy efficiency advice to individual carers and groups of carers. Support will be provided to maximise finances via welfare benefit advice to prevent/reduce fuel poverty.  Information will also be provided to help carers access any capital grants that are available for energy efficiency measures such as boilers and insulation for their home, in addition to small energy efficient items being provided via the project.

The ‘People Powered’ project aims to provide residents of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney, most vulnerable to fuel poverty, with: the immediate support they need to overcome acute difficulties with their energy bills and longer-term resilience to withstand on-going pressures to pay their energy bills. These boroughs all have pockets of significant deprivation. The project is designed to provide the community with greater access to the right type of support, in a sustainable and cost-efficient way. The community-based model will support people with acute issues, while giving them and their communities the tools to sustain longer-term resilience to ongoing pressures.

The project will offer holistic advice and support for energy customers who meet Ofgem’s vulnerability criteria by helping them to: manage their energy accounts; reduce energy consumption; maximise their income; access other services (e.g. debt/benefits advice, mental health support). The service will be delivered through information/awareness-raising events and one-to-one advice offered at CALS, at community venues across Leicester and through home visits. The project will be delivered in partnership with organisations across Leicester, serving communities that experience high levels of economic disadvantage to maximise reach and complement existing service provision.

Warmer Derby & Derbyshire 3 (WDD3) will be run by Marches Energy Agency (MEA), a charity with 25 years’ experience supporting local people to be warm and well at home. With WDD3, MEA will aim to provide free, independent advice and practical help to tackle fuel poverty and cold homes for a further 4000 people. They will expand from their free phone advice line with in-depth case work support, home visits with low-cost measures and crisis support, and signpost to insulation schemes. They will reach communities excluded through language and cultural barriers, with training and direct assistance. Referral networks and partnerships will be strengthened, such as with Adult Social Services, food and warm banks, mental health agencies, and women’s refuges.

This project will support approximately 4,050 disadvantaged and vulnerable households who struggle with fuel poverty. The project will help households to understand their energy use, save energy in their homes, communicate with their energy providers, and access grants and other support to better manage their bills. Ultimately, the project aims to reduce the number of people falling into fuel poverty, saving a projected total of £877,000 on energy costs (£1.57m small measures lifetime-savings). The project will work with diverse communities including ethnic minorities, refugees, those with health conditions, and older people. This is a partnership between Severn Wye, Integrated Healthcare, Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS), and other community organisations.

The Energyworks single point of contact (SPOC) project will be a partnership between Citizens Advice Brighton & Hove (CABH) and Brighton & Hove Energy Services Coop (BHESCo) to help all city residents in fuel poverty. All energy advisers will be trained to City & Guilds Level 3 Energy Awareness. The SPOC will be embedded in the widely used Energyworks service in Brighton & Hove and will be accessed through a central telephone number, digital, advice drop-ins at Citizens Advice at Hove Town Hall, and via community outreach workshops. The Energyworks webpage will have dedicated and up-to-date information on all local and national energy schemes to help reduce fuel poverty. 3,439 clients will be advised over the course of the project and 382 home visits will be undertaken over 2 years.