Cost of Living Award
Showcasing the ways in which utilities are offering tailored support to customers to reflect continued pressure on household finances. This category celebrates companies that have gone the extra mile, and exceeded their regulatory requirements to provide targeted support to those that need it most.
Cost of Living Award
Showcasing the ways in which utilities are offering tailored support to customers to reflect continued pressure on household finances. This category celebrates companies that have gone the extra mile, and exceeded their regulatory requirements to provide targeted support to those that need it most.
British Gas - Supporting Vulnerable Customers
British Gas has launched its new Struggling To Pay Customer Charter to more effectively support the growing number of customers facing financial difficulties. This initiative focuses on supporting customers struggling to pay their bills today and help them to achieve financial safety thereafter.
We’re helping customers navigate a path out of debt by:
-simplifying communication and contact channels
-providing proactive financial assistance
-facilitating effective payment discussions
-partnering with third-party organisations to fund charities that support financially distressed customers who may be hesitant to contact us directly or who’s challenge is far more widespread than simply their energy costs
Cadent - Services Beyond the Meter
At Cadent, we lead with innovation, dedicating our efforts to ensure our customers are never left vulnerable.
Through our innovative Services Beyond the Meter (SBtM) programme, we go the extra mile to support our customers in vulnerable situations. By utilising the VCMA funding, we deliver vital services that extend far beyond the network gas supply.
Our programme includes free carbon monoxide (CO) investigations (CMDDA1), proactive gas appliance servicing, gas appliance repair and replacement, CO alarm installation, CO and energy efficiency advice, and assistance with accessing essential services. Every customer receives personalised support, helping them to stay safe, warm, and informed.
Cadent - Being a ‘Force for Good’ – driving initiatives to tackle fuel poverty and the cost-of-living crisis
Our purpose ‘keeping people warm, while protecting the planet’, is vital! As the UK’s largest GDN, delivering excellent service for 11m homes and businesses, we firmly believe we have a duty to use our scale and access to our customers, to be a force for good within the communities we serve.
Focused on tackling fuel poverty, managed via our own Foundation and Social Impact team, we’re not only delivering sector-leading initiatives, making significant community impact, we’re also encouraging greater collaboration across utilities, charities, government and business. This year, we’ve supported over a million households, with no plans to stop!
E.ON Next - The Winter Affordability Scheme
Ahead of the winter of 2023/24, E.ON Next launched the Winter Affordability Scheme, an £80 million commitment to ease the cost-of-living burden and ensure energy security for customers. The scheme comprised a range of solutions including tariff reduction, debt clearance, appliance replacement, and dedicated support from specialist care teams that, altogether, impacted more than 80,000 customers.
Now complete, the scheme cleared >£40 million in debt, invested c.£27 million in reducing customer tariffs, and invested >£5 million in building dedicated internal teams to support vulnerable customers. To date, almost 95% of customers who accessed support remain debt-free.
Electricity North West - Take Charge - Energy and Money Advice You Can Trust
Facing high levels of fuel poverty, the North West needed trusted energy and money-saving advice.
“Take Charge,” led by Electricity North West, aims to normalise seeking help with energy saving and debt. With a vibrant identity, it raises awareness and provides tangible support. In its first year, it exceeded targets, reaching 25,072 people and offering practical advice.
Starting from a position of following other network operators, we have, through hard work, passion, commitment, and a clear plan, proudly become one of the leading DNOs for fuel poverty support and delivered £8.55 million in social benefits achieving a 95.3% satisfaction rating.
Utilita Energy - Cost to Cook Campaign
British kitchens and supermarket shelves have evolved more in the last three years than they have during the previous three decades because of Utilita’s national Cost to Cook awareness and education programme.
In the interest of helping households make the most economical cooking decisions, while cutting CO2 emissions, Utilita’s Cost to Cook campaign is celebrating its third successful year having attracted the organic support of Jamie Oliver. The TV chef used the data to underpin a primetime cooking series, which has helped the campaign reach 579 million views across 679 media articles. It has shown no signs of slowing down.
Wales & West Utilities with Kidney Care UK, The Welsh Kidney Network and Auriga Services - Navigating the cost of living crisis
Wales & West Utilities (WWU) is proud to extend its commitment to vulnerable people through a unique and innovative partnership model to relieve pressures on the household finances of the dialysis community across Wales. By uniting NHS Wales, Kidney Care UK (KCUK), Auriga Services & WWU, services have been developed offering transformational, face-to face support for extremely vulnerable dialysis patients on debt advice and unclaimed welfare benefits. An expert team of Patient Support and Advocacy Officers (PSAOs) is empowered to help those impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, keeping them safe and warm in their own homes in times of crisis.