Funded Energy Redress Projects

The project is piloting four different kinds of technology solutions into households that have a visually impaired person with a visual processing disorder (VPD). The four different mechanism will be evaluated to identify which one provides the most benefit in terms of operability in relation to the level of disability of the householder; cost and practicality to enable the different interventions to be made available to all. Everyone participating will be assessed by a specialist in Visual Processing to determine which technology is most likely to be effective and any other support that they might need. Advice on energy saving and management will also be given, specifically addressed towards those who have visual impairments and any participants who are eligible for works under Eco (which is likely to be all those taking part as they are classed as Vulnerable with a disability) but have not had any work carried out, will have it made accessible to them, maximising the opportunity to enhance the benefits and show what is possible if the correct interventions take place.

The Energy Savings Awareness Campaign will identify and deliver energy saving advice to households experiencing fuel poverty because of the recent energy price hikes. Beneficiaries will include refugees that have been given their status and a tenancy. These group of people are more vulnerable and at risk and in need due to language barrier. All home/telephone advice will be delivered by a trained adviser who will work full time to deliver energy savings advice. The project will also produce several energy savings multilingual advice videos that will be heavily promoted on social media in target communities.

The South London Energy Efficiency partnership (SLEEP) project will support the continued evolution of the successful SLEEP project, which aims to provide a large-scale and strategically coordinated effort to tackle the unprecedented levels of rising fuel poverty across South London, brought about by the cost of living crisis and ongoing increases to the energy price cap. Groundwork London, working in partnership with SELCE, Thinking Works and 11 Local Authorities, will deliver holistic and targeted interventions consisting of high-quality (face-to-face and online/phone-based) energy advice, directly supporting 5,900 of the most vulnerable South London households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, save money on energy bills and better represent their interests in the energy market. Through the provision of ‘Money Matters Champion’ training to Energy Advisors, this project will trial the integration of more comprehensive/wider-reaching income and debt advice into home visits, recognising that income and debt are key drivers of fuel poverty. 

The Evaluating solar PV with electric heating project will build the case for social landlords installing solar PV after the feed-in tariff. It will assess how solar PV can make different forms of electric heating more affordable. North Devon Homes will install 16 solar PV systems in socially rented rural homes in North Devon with existing electric heating systems. These homes will have either storage heaters, storage heaters and batteries, ASHPs or ASHPs and batteries. A further 2 homes will have a Wondrwall system fitted with solar PV, battery storage and infrared heating panels. 11 of properties will also have energy saving smart hot water cylinders fitted with solar immersion controllers. The project will build on an earlier study with ASHPs and batteries. The potential for other income/savings from the smart export guarantee, advanced smart tariffs, peer to peer trading/Energy Local Club and flexibility payments will be considered.

The Hampshire Energy Advice Service will reach out, with targeted messaging, to 35,000 vulnerable households across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton that are struggling to keep warm and well. The project aims to increase the provision of affordable warmth advice across the region to meet the significant increase in demand as a result of the energy crisis. Through proposed activities they will directly support 3,800 households over the phone online and with face-to face energy advice at events. The partnership will engage key council and third sector services across the region, engaging and training 500 frontline workers to raise awareness of fuel poverty and highlight the help available. In addition they provide a greatly enhanced digital offering, practical support through distributing energy saving packs and discretionary grants to those most in need. They will also foster increased collaboration between partners.

We will develop a Community Energy Champion Programme to support those hard to reach vulnerable residents who wouldn’t otherwise engage with our existing affordable warmth service and welfare provision. Our Energy Champion programme will recruit 10 local volunteers from fuel poverty hotspot areas from across the borough to become Community Energy Champions. The volunteers will be recruited based on their existing connections to their local communities and the knowledge and understanding they have of their local areas. They would act as connectors and enable those families who wouldn’t necessarily seek help from public services to access the relevant advice and support. The Champions would help to breakdown those fears and act as link between front line services and the local community.

Our Community Energy Champions will be up skilled and trained to provide brief advice and interventions in energy advice, energy switching , fuel debt. They will understand the professional support available through the AWARM plus service, the wider welfare and lifestyle services and understand how to refer and access those services. The training would include Fuel Poverty and Health, City and Guilds level 2 Energy and fuel Debt advice, and RSPH Understanding Health Improvement, In Mind awareness session and Dementia Friends. As part of our bid we would like to recruit a champion coordinator who would be responsible for identifying, recruiting and supporting the volunteers.

Our bid will also include a PR campaign which would include resources to promote the programme and community road show events at 4 locations.

The Energy for Life project aims to support the most vulnerable residents of Cheshire to reduce their energy bills and make the most of their energy supply. It aims to create awareness of, and support application to, funds and schemes that can help people with their energy costs. After understanding each individual situation advisors will provide energy advice to the most vulnerable residents of Cheshire. This advice will be based on providing support to residents to make changes that will help for years to come, introducing energy saving measures, behavioural changes to cut energy costs and applications to grants. They will help people in the way that suits them best: individual face to face advice, online advice or by phone. It will also run group workshops in local community venues and attend events. 

The Green Doctor: Energy crisis response programme will address thed need amongst vulnerable energy customers impacted by rising fuel prices to support an additional 4,300 of the most vulnerable households, to reduce and manage their costs through in-depth home-based energy advice and support. They will target areas of increasing fuel poverty, where existing energy advice services are struggling to meet demand, working with partners to identify and help vulnerable customers needing additional support, including low income households, residents in poorly insulated housing, those suffering ill-health, young families/single parents, and older people.

The Perthshire Energy Saving Network will help clients to cut bills, reduce their energy use, provide small energy saving items for the home, challenge incorrect billing and access grants from a range of sources to help with arrears and property improvements. A core team of energy specialists will develop a Perthshire Energy Support Network of advice and support partners across Perth & Kinross to reach out to the elderly, to families and single parents and those living in rural communities who frequently bear an unequal burden of energy and cost of living rises. Perth & Kinross covers over 2,000 square miles and acting as a sole provider over that area is simply unmanageable, so they will work with our partners (Energy Saving Trust funded Heat Project and Warm Connections, local foodbanks and larders, befriending groups, carers’ support groups, NHS and numerous community groups who provide services for families and the elderly).

Warm Island - Energy Saving Guidance will provide support for households in the second most fuel poor area in England, the Isle of Wight. They will provide a range of support to give the best, appropriate help including: energy events run in the local community, face to face meetings at outreach in Foodbanks and other help groups, an energy phoneline, online help and access to additional grant funding and further support. They will help empower over 3000 households to reduce their bills by teaching skills to manage and lower energy use in the home, supporting vulnerable consumers who have a long term physical or mental health condition, be on a very low income, from an elderly household, living in off-gas inefficient homes or otherwise disadvantaged from the energy market.