Fuel and money advice - Local centres - British Gas Energy Trust

Local Advice Centres

We have mapped and listed all Trust-funded organisations offering free, impartial advice on energy and money below. They provide a wide range of specialist fuel and debt advice services including:

Budget planning
Benefit / income maximisation checks
Energy supplier / tariff switching exercises
Resolution of energy debt problems
Negotiating with energy suppliers
Completing grant applications to British Gas Energy Trust and other helpful schemes, e.g. Warm Home Discount and ECO schemes and energy companies’ Priority Services Registers
Desktop Home Energy Efficiency Surveys and specific energy efficiency advice
Generalist advice on subjects including housing, employment and discrimination, helping to overcome other barriers to financial well-being.

Online debt and money information is also available at www.turn2us.org.uk, www.StepChange.org, National Debtline and on the Citizens Advice national website.

Money and energy advice in the community

British Gas Energy Trust is working with the Post Office and British Gas to run in-person community pop-ups in Post Offices across England, Scotland and Wales. Trained advisors from organisations funded by the Trust will be on hand to talk about the support available to help manage money and energy bills.

Find out where and when pop-ups are taking place.

Local Trust-funded advice centres by region:

North-East

North-West

Midlands

Sandwell and Walsall Citizens Advice
Community Law Service (Northampton & County)
North Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Citizens Advice
St Ann’s Advice (Nottingham & County)
Zinthiya Trust (Leicester & County)

South-East

Hastings Welfare, Benefits and Energy Advice Project (East Sussex)
Bromley by Bow Centre (East London)
Money A+E (East London)
Citizens Advice Enfield
Citizens Advice Essex
Citizen Advice Swale
Citizens Advice Hertsmere
The Groundwork South Trust Limited
Citizens Advice Tendring

South-West

Navigate (Somerset, Torridge, Mid, North and West Devon)
Citizens Advice Swindon
Exeter Community Energy

Scotland

Wales

Riverside Advice (Cardiff)
Citizens Advice Rhondda Cynon Taff

National

Kidney Care UK

Bromley by Bow Centre – Energise

Our project is designed to provide sustainable solutions to fuel poverty. Our person-centred approach to assisting people with their financial situations will help them develop resilience and capability so they can independently manage their energy to reduce risk of recurrence of crisis and improve long-term affordability.

Changeworks

Changeworks is Scotland’s leading energy efficiency organisation, supporting households to reduce their energy use, their carbon footprint and to better achieve affordable warmth.

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is the single national provider of hospice care to children in Scotland. CHAS offers support to children with life-shortening conditions and their families through its hospices in Kinross and Balloch, a specialist team in every children’s hospital in Scotland, and in the community.

Citizen Advice Swale

Transforming Swale - Transforming Swale is a collaborative, innovative project between Swale Foodbank, Faversham Foodbank and Citizens Advice Swale funding Money and Energy advisers to reach eligible clients in need of support and ensure the service is accessible to clients in or facing fuel poverty.

Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough

Energy Crisis Response - This project seeks to support the most vulnerable in Doncaster with money and energy advice. There is a focus on supporting 50% beneficiaries in work as a direct response to an increasing trend CA Doncaster have evidenced.

Citizens Advice Enfield

Debt and Energy first aid advice - The project provides guidance on debt, financial management, benefits entitlements, income maximisation, access to utility and fuel grants, for disadvantaged local communities with a view to reach vulnerable Enfield residents.

Citizens Advice Essex

Communities in Crisis Fuel Poverty Project - The project combines 'one-off' money and energy advice with two-thirds of clients receiving ongoing casework.

Citizens Advice Hertsmere

The Citizen Advice Hertsmere (CAH) project "Lightbulb -staying switched on", targets the most vulnerable people in the Hertsmere community who are at the highest risk of falling over the cliff edge during the cost of living crisis.

Citizens Advice North Yorkshire

Citizens Advice North Yorkshire provides free confidential and impartial advice, and campaign on big issues affecting people’s lives. Our goal is to help everyone find a way forward, whatever problems they face.

Citizens Advice Rhondda Cynon Taff

Energise Your Finances - Energise Your Finances seeks to employ two money and energy advisors to provide advice through outreach partnerships already in place with community organisations and venues. In addition, they will provide 'in reach' support co-locating in referral partner offices.

Citizens Advice Sheffield & Law Centre

Energy Ready - CA Sheffield aims to employ two money and energy advisers and train their Adviceline advisers on energy advice. One adviser will handle initial issues and the second adviser will provide ongoing casework support to clients.

Citizens Advice Swindon

Energy Debt Solutions Swindon - CA Swindon have established a broad range of referral pathways, including third sector, agencies as well as engaging with local councillors and MPs, to ensure the project reaches the most vulnerable clients in need of support

Citizens Advice Tendring

Citizens Advice Tendring is an independent local charity and part of the Citizens Advice network across England and Wales. It provides free, confidential and impartial advice and campaigns on big issues affecting people's lives.

Community Law Service – Financial Health & Wellbeing Project

Our specialist advice team provide a fuel poverty advice service which includes benefits advice and income maximisation, debt and energy efficiency advice and access to low level energy efficiency measures benefiting people facing fuel poverty across Northamptonshire.

Dundee Citizens Advice – Financial Wellbeing Project

We provide a full debt advice service, income maximisation, energy advice, support and assistance to identify the best tariffs, the projects aim is to help lift households out of fuel poverty and by doing so improve health and wellbeing of people from Dundee.

Energy Projects Plus

Liverpool Affordable Warmth aims to support clients with practical measures, advice and referrals into other organisations.

Exeter Community Energy

Exeter Community Energy aims for renewable energy projects to bring about practical change in the community by addressing energy related challenges.

Greener Kirkcaldy

Greener Kirkcaldy is a community-led charity and development trust working locally to combat the climate emergency, tackle fuel poverty and food insecurity and meet the needs and goals of local people.

Hartlepool Citizens Advice – Fuel, Benefit and Money Entitlement Action Team

Our project provide advice and assistance with debt, energy, welfare benefits, housing, grant applications, consumer services and community care issues to everyone in the Hartlepool area.

Hastings Welfare, Benefits and Energy Advice Project

HARC & Energise Sussex Coast support people in East Sussex, seeking to maximise the income of people living in poverty through accessing welfare, benefits and energy advice.

Kidney Care UK

Kidney Care UK are the UK's leading kidney patient support charity. More than 3.5 million people in the UK live with chronic kidney disease, and over a million more don’t know that they do. They provide support for more than 100 patients every week and invest over £3 million each year in patient grants.

Lancashire Women

Lancashire Women's Money, Debt, and Energy Advice seeks to support women with money and energy advice both during one to one sessions on the phone and in person.

Money A+E – Money in the Community

Money A+E is an East London-based social enterprise that provides debt and financial capability services to diverse ethnic communities (DEC) and disadvantaged groups.

Money Matters – Energy Matters Project

We deliver tailored money, welfare, energy and financial advice to vulnerable people to help tackle fuel poverty in Scotland. Our service includes budgeting support, debt advice, income maximisation and energy efficiency advice to help lift the most vulnerable out of fuel poverty and to improve their health and well-being.

Navigate Charity (Somerset, Torridge, Mid, North and West Devon) – Wis£rMoney

We aim to improve the quality of life, wellbeing and financial resilience of people living in the rural areas of Mid-Devon and North Devon. Services target vulnerable groups living on low-income in communities experiencing, poverty, financial hardship, and social and financial exclusion. We offer budgeting, income maximisation, fuel, debt and energy efficiency advice and specialist mental health advocacy and support.

Preston & District Citizens Advice – Fuel Debt Project

We provide help and assistance to individuals and households considered to be fuel poor across the Preston and District area. We offer debt, fuel and energy efficiency advice, offering budgeting support and help individuals switch to a cheaper tariff.

Riverside Advice – Holistic Welfare Rights Services

Our service is delivered by expert, qualified and skilled advisors, aiming for a ‘fresh start / clean slate’ for vulnerable people across Wales. Our aim is to provide tailored advice to ensure people stay debt-free, manage better, stay healthy and in control of their finances.

Rossendale & Hyndburn Citizens Advice – Energy and Debt Advice Action

We deliver quality money advice services that include energy advice to clients across Rossendale & Hyndburn and Blackpool. Advice is delivered in an integrated way that ensures each client is offered a full range of support to meet their needs. This includes support with debts, maximising income through comprehensive benefit checks and an holistic approach that aims to empower our clients to take control of their financial situation.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

British Gas Energy Trust has awarded The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) a grant to provide vital unbiased and impartial energy and income maximisation advice to blind and partially sighted people who are disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis over the next 18 months.

Sandwell and Walsall Citizens Advice – Budgeting Buddies Project

Citizens Advice Sandwell and Walsall will provide targeted help to vulnerable groups of clients where there is expected to be a significant increase in reduced household income debt problems and energy debt and energy efficiency issues due to the pandemic.

SCOPE

Scope launched its’ disability energy support service in 2021 with the aim "To reach disabled households in vulnerable situations at scale and improve their ability to meet and afford their energy needs - through improved energy efficiency, income maximisation, and reduced outgoings."

St Anns Advice – Advice Nottingham Energy Debt Project

Our service provides support, through appropriately qualified advisors, to people who are experiencing high levels of deprivation and poverty across Nottingham. We provide advice and advocacy to help clients maximise their incomes, minimise their debts and become more efficient in their use of energy in their homes.

Sunderland Citizens Advice – Safe and Sound Sunderland Project

We take a holistic approach to helping people across Sunderland through maximising income, supporting with budgeting and financial capabilities, energy efficiency and debt management.

THAW Orkney – Warmth & Wellbeing

We are working with households in all Orkney communities to reduce levels of fuel poverty, achieve affordable warmth and enable financial and social inclusion by providing bespoke advice and support service to vulnerable households in partnerships with local agencies.

The Big Issue

Big Issue Foundation has been awarded a grant to provide vital money and energy advice to members of the Roma community struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

The Groundwork South Trust Limited

HEAT (Home Energy Action Thanet) will provide a range of money and energy advice to a significant number of beneficiaries across Thanet through a combination of in-person, telephone advice and community-based sessions.

The Royal Mencap Society (Mencap)

The Royal Mencap Society (Mencap) has been awarded a grant to provide vital money and energy advice to people with a learning disability who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

TLC SCIO

Aberdeen City Financial Resilience and Energy Project is a collaborative client-focused service operating out of Aberdeen North and South Foodbanks with CAB energy advisers to deliver holistic money and energy advice.

Zinthiya Trust – Leicester Money and Energy Project

Specialising in energy, money, debt, housing and domestic abuse issues, we provide a range of support to those most in need in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Our one-to-one support, advice, counselling and employment guidance helps to alleviate poverty and abuse in the region.