Citizens Advice
Supporting 6,500 marginalised households with in-depth energy advice
Our project at a glance
- Strategic priority area: Targeting geographic communities most at risk of fuel poverty
- Support target: 6,577 households over 18 months
- Duration: October 2024 to March 2026
- Investment: £1,950,000 over 18 months
- Forecast SROI: £11.84
Why we’re working together
The majority of people supported through Citizens Advice’s energy advice services in 2023 were vulnerable and experiencing fuel poverty as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
With continuing high energy prices and a reduction in households receiving the Winter Fuel Payment as we head into winter 2024, Citizens Advice teams across our Southern network area are finding it particularly challenging to continue meeting this unprecedented demand.
In its monthly Data Insights reports, Citizens Advice identified that only 31.5% of people who visited Citizens Advice for help and advice were from marginalised client groups. We’re partnering on a new programme with Citizens Advice to increase the capacity of its existing Energy Advice Programme (EAP) to support more clients with in-depth energy advice and address this inequality.
In expanding this service, we’re targeting our support at households from under-represented and marginalised communities that are most at risk from living in cold homes and are most at risk of being left behind in the transition to net zero. We’re improving access to energy safeguarding and advice services for these groups by taking the help into their communities through a new Community Caseworker Programme.
Project objectives
- Providing one-to-one immediate and long-term energy advice on how to maintain a safe and warm home
- Extending energy advice to marginalised and underrepresented communities through a new caseworker outreach service
- Supporting eligible households to sign up for the Priority Services Register
- Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and providing free CO alarms to households most at risk of CO harm
How we’re working together
One-to-one personalised energy advice
Through the well-established and much-needed Citizens Advice Energy Advice Programme (EAP), we’re providing households with in-depth energy and income advice that improves financial independence, health and wellbeing, and increases confidence to manage household utility costs.
Caseworker outreach service
Complementing the existing EAP, we’ve introduced a new Community Caseworker Programme to embed skilled Citizens Advice caseworkers in the community to support marginalised and underrepresented groups.
As with the EAP, we aim to advise each household on at least seven separate issues related to energy and cost of living to improve their lived experience today and in the longer term as we move towards the net zero transition.
How to get involved
Accessing support from the Citizens Advice
As one of our VCMA network partners, you can refer households across the south of England to their local Citizens Advice team. You can find your nearest Citizens Advice on the organisation’s website.
If you’re struggling to afford your energy bills, there’s lots of advice on the Citizens Advice website. You can also find details of how to talk to an energy adviser or find your local Citizens Advice.
Becoming a Citizens Advice partner
You can find out more about partnering with Citizens Advice by contacting the Corporate Partnerships team at corporate@citizensadvice.org.uk.
This valuable support from SGN enables Citizens Advice to launch a programme providing intensive energy advice and support to marginalised client groups disproportionately impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. This aligns with our mission to close the access and experience gap for marginalised people. It also represents a key step forward in delivering our energy strategy, ensuring we are able to respond effectively to changing client needs in the energy market.