Following the release of our Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) Annual Report, we're shining a light on the people and partners who have helped support over 1.3m vulnerable households in the last five years.
1 in 10 households in southern England are living in fuel poverty. In England, a household is in fuel poverty if they are living in a home with an energy efficiency rating of band D or below, and their income falls below the official poverty line after energy costs. Over one million southern England households are on the Priority Services Register (PSR), around double the number of those in Scotland.
Some communities find it more challenging to access help without trusted support and are more impacted by living in a cold and unsafe home. Supported by our Vulnerability and CO Steering Group, strategic partners and research, we identified priority customer groups most in need of our help to maintain a safe and warm home:
- Carers
- Critically ill people
- Digitally and culturally excluded groups
- Disabled people
- Families with young children
- Financially vulnerable people
- People at risk of homelessness
- People with mental health conditions
- Older people
- Those with health conditions made worse by living in a cold and unhealthy home
- Young people
Our priority customer groups often have complex health, wellbeing and financial needs in addition to their energy safeguarding requirements. By creating connections between our Safe & Warm partnership network, our partners can provide holistic support to tackle the increasingly complex nature of vulnerable household need.
Tackling communication barriers for Adam
Adam (name changed for privacy) is a Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) user. He contacted deafPLUS after receiving an energy arrears letter from his supplier that he found hard to understand.
deafPLUS Advisor Amanda met with Adam to explain the situation and discuss what support was available to him.
Amanda said: “Adam was confused by the letter, and it had been worrying him for a long time. By explaining the letter in BSL, Adam could fully understand what it meant and what support was available to resolve his debt.”
“I helped Adam to independently access specialist debt advice. But before I could do that, I needed to first help him build his confidence in engaging with other services, as English is his second language after BSL.
“Because of historical barriers to participation, there can be a wariness of mainstream providers among the Deaf community. I was able to encourage Adam to engage with IncomeMax and YES Energy, whose services are inclusive of Deaf households.
“I also explained about the PSR and helped Adam to join, so that his energy companies could be more inclusive of his communication needs in future.”
Our impact
By explaining complex energy, CO and PSR information in BSL through our energyPLUS programme, we’ve empowered 2,102 Deaf households to fully engage with energy advice and safeguarding services.
Lifting Sandra and Trevor out of financial crisis
Sandra and Trevor (names changed for privacy) both receive a state pension and an occupational pension. They both have significant health conditions, including arthritis, cancer and a genetic condition which results in muscle weakness.
We visited their home when our mains replacement contractor WCB was upgrading our gas network in their street. Recognising they were eligible for the PSR, our Customer Liaison Officer Lauren Macauley registered them for the free service.
We also referred the couple to IncomeMax Advisor Teddy for income maximisation and benefits advice.
Teddy said: “Sandra and Trevor were struggling to afford their bills and felt overwhelmed by the process of claiming additional support. I guided them through Attendance Allowance applications step by step. Both were successfully awarded the higher rate, as well as backdated payments, providing a significant increase to their income.
“I also referred them for a home energy visit, where they were given practical advice and supported to switch to an Economy 7 tariff to help reduce their bills.
“By helping Sandra and Trevor access unclaimed benefits and reduce their energy costs, we’ve increased their annual household income by £12,115 and ensured they can stay in their home.”
Our impact
IncomeMax has supported 3,015 households through our partnership. Together, we’ve identified £3,134,936 in extra income and unclaimed benefits – an average of £1,040 per household.
Empowering young people
Bobbi felt she missed out on financial education at school. As a young mum to a two-year-old boy, she struggled to budget and found herself relying heavily on ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ services.
Our Money House programme with Money Ready equips care leavers and at-risk young people with the financial and home safety knowledge to live independently for the first time. Building a foundation of financial confidence and literacy helps young people avoid long-term systemic debt and poverty.
Bobbi said: “I used to really rely on Klarna. Like every week almost. I think I’ll have this much and then the next minute I’ll be like ‘oh, I have to pay this off and then I’ll have barely any money left.’
“Since completing the Money Ready programme, I feel better at budgeting, I shop around for deals and I save more. I only use Klarna for emergencies now. I know about utility providers and how they operate. I was able to change my supplier for a better price because of the course.
“It’s not just about saving money. I learnt about carbon monoxide safety too and why I need to have a CO alarm at home.”
Our impact
Bobbi is one of 157,303 young people we’ve reached with carbon monoxide safety information through our range of VCMA programmes during RIIO-GD2.
