Citizens Advice has been working on the Energy Best Deal public awareness campaign with support from the energy regulator Ofgem and major energy companies since 2008. Energy Best Deal has now improved the confidence of over 200,000 domestic energy customers across England, Scotland and Wales to shop around, reduce their bills and get help if they are falling behind.
Energy Best Deal is delivered in England and Wales by members of the regional financial capability forums, and by Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland. Sessions are aimed at low income consumers and front-line staff who work with people at risk of fuel poverty who can be signposted to a range of further help with issues such as fuel debt, benefits entitlement and energy efficiency. Sessions are based around a one hour presentation, with an information leaflet to hand out. The campaign aims to:
A recent widower (aged 88 and mainly housebound) had been unable to find the paperwork relating to his household bills, which his wife always managed. He was concerned about paying his heating bills and was unsure of what benefits he was receiving and what he was entitled to.
Following the Energy Best Deal session, he was helped to write a letter to his fuel company explaining his situation. As a result his energy tariff was changed, helping him save £20.00 per month.
The man explained
“I felt so helpless and alone. Had I not gone to the coffee morning and heard the presentation I would have been in a right old mess.”
Chiltern CAB
The 2012/13 campaign will see at least 640 sessions delivered by financial capability forum members in England and Wales and over 110 by Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland. Together these will directly train at least 3,375 low income consumers and at least 3,375 frontline workers who support them. This campaign is being funded by EDF Energy, E.ON, ScottishPower; and Scottish and Southern Energy and supported by Ofgem.
An independent evaluation of the 2011/12 campaign was conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The evaluation found that:
Frontline workers interviewed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy following the session were asked to think of a specific case where they had helped a client using information from the Energy Best Deal session.
One frontline worker from a Citizens Advice Bureau described a client who was referred to her by a hospital. The client was elderly and unwell and needed the house to be as warm as possible, as well as needing advice on money management. The worker gave the client information about switching to a cheaper tariff, helped the client to fill out forms for a Warm Front grant, and advised on free cavity wall insulation.
The client switched suppliers and saved money, was given a Warm Front grant, and received cavity wall insulation.
390kb), August 2012 410kb) 460kb), English and Welsh 280kb) 0.56mb) 0.63mb) (Energy Best Deal consumer leaflet in Welsh)
1.4mb) 1.7mb) 410kb) - optional slide to insert into presentation 200kb)
0.77mb) - includes frequently asked questions 2.8mb) 5.6mb) 2.8mb) 5.6mb) 0.8mb) 200kb) 49kb)Energy Best Deal films on YouTube - cover shopping around for a better energy deal, energy efficiency, getting help with bills, dealing with sales people, making a complaint and debt and disconnection.
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