Local residents receiving one-to-one energy advice at Caxton House – August 2021

About

In June 2021 Power Up North London received a grant from the GLA funded Community Energy London programme “Accelerating the Deployment of Community Energy in London 2021”. The purpose of the funding was to train people from the community as Energy Champions and to deliver 1 to 1 energy advice to local residents on how to reduce their energy bills and how to access available services and discounts.

Funding & delivery

PUNL received a grant of £3,600 for this work, and between 7 and 24 July, 10 participants completed the online training that was delivered by Alex Hartley who is an expert in this area of work. Group workshops were then held at Caxton House on 4th and 12th August, attended by 17 participants, including two representatives from Islington Council’s SHINE service. This was followed by one-to-one advice sessions where 7 local residents were given in-depth assistance with particular issues they were facing with their energy bills or with their energy supplier.

Benefits & impact

Some residents were helped to switch suppliers and others were advised about the best alternative tariff available to them. We also referred two residents to Islington Council’s SHINE service and they have had follow-up support as a result. We calculated average potential savings of £100 – £150 a year for the residents who were ready to switch suppliers. More importantly they were made aware of the discounts they are entitled to and how to access them.