£500,000 to those in need with UK Power Networks’ Cost of Living fund
UK Power Networks has more than doubled support offered to its customers over the last year, in response to the ‘cost of living crisis’, by scaling up existing partnerships and delivering new support.
The £500,000 Cost of Living funding enabled local partners to scale up their in-depth support, increasing home visits and income maximisation support to meet growing demand. Over 120 warm ‘hubs’ in communities were co-funded, reaching 18,400 people with 3,000 receiving in-depth support.
Local authority projects also received match funding including Thanet ‘Warm & Well’ Packs in Kent; Surrey Warm Hubs as part of a co-fund with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and SGN; and a Community Thermal Imaging Project as part of the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership.
Hundreds of vulnerable households across Brighton and Hove also received new or top-up ‘Warmth for Wellbeing’ grants during the coldest winter months, following unprecedented demand for help.
Energyworks, run by Citizen’s Advice Brighton and Hove and Money Advice Plus, distributed grants to a further 580 residents in hardship, including households with young children, pregnant women, disabilities, respiratory, heart and mental health conditions.
The funding also contributed to the first ever UK-wide credit meter fuel voucher scheme, in partnership with disability charity, Scope. The scheme supported over 1,000 disabled customers, who are disproportionately impacted by rising energy costs.
In addition, the network operator is working with local communities to build sustainable support for residents in years to come, including training over 800 front-line energy advisers to provide advice and support on bill savings, energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies.
The work enabled by the Cost of Living fund builds upon UK Power Networks’ programme of support to deliver relief to customers who need it most, ensuring customers received help that made a real tangible difference to their lives over a difficult winter.
Farina Farrier, social sustainability manager at UK Power Networks, said: “Our customers are facing unprecedented challenges which is why we have expanded our fuel poverty support.
“We have ambitious plans to scale up the help we can offer even further and continue to work collaboratively with others to deliver practical support that will make a real difference to people’s lives during the current cost of living crisis.”
Published: 05/09/23
