Doncaster energy advisors shortlisted for national award

A team of South Yorkshire energy advisors were shortlisted for a national award for their work to tackle fuel poverty in their community.

The energy advisors at Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough were named as finalists for the Citizens Advice Team of the Year award.

The team has been delivering a British Gas Energy Trust funded project for the last 18 months, supporting 1,203 people with 4,295 energy interventions and maximising people’s income to a tune of £774,000.

They’ve also issued 550 much-needed fuel vouchers and delivered scores of warm packs featuring hats, gloves, scarves and hot water bottles to those in need across the city.

James Woods, Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough Chief Executive, said the shortlisting was down to his amazing team taking the time to understand its community.

He said:

“To have been named in the top three teams is a real privilege.

“We go out to the community and deliver workshops on various topics. For example, we delivered one recently focused on smart meters for the Muslim community. Veterans are another good example – they often won’t come forward for support, so we go to them with the information we think they need.

“There are 35,000 people living in a budget deficit in Doncaster, and one of the main issues in that is energy arrears. Yes, the energy caps are coming down but many people are in energy debt throughout the year, so it doesn’t matter if bills come down in the summer; they’re still having to pay off the debt the vast quantities of debt they have.”

One of the advisors in the team, Stuart Tovell, said:

“I wouldn’t say we’re any better than any other Citizens Advice team. But maybe what helps us to deliver our impact is the way we look at the bigger picture. People present with many different issues, so we take the time to ask the right questions so we can build up a better picture of someone’s life before putting plans in place to tackle them.”

Advisor Emma Burdon put their success down to a continuity of service, adding:

“I think it helps that we’re a very established team, with lots of knowledge and experience in delivering projects like this. Typically, when you get funding for two years, the first six months could be taken up by lots of training but because our team has been in placed for a number of years, we’ve been able to hit the ground running.”

Due to the success of the project in its first 18 months, it has now been extended for a further two years, giving the team further opportunities to work with more Doncaster communities – particularly reaching certain community groups which may be classed as ‘hard to reach’.

James Woods added:

“The new project allows us to do more home visits, which will be great as we can see people in their homes and give them practical advice there and then. And because we have a significant number of deaf people in our community, we’ve been able to employ a specific British Sign Language energy advisor to help us reach that audience.”

Looking ahead to the work still to do to continue the team’s impact, advisor Shane Baxter said behavioural change is one of the most important things on the agenda for 2024 and beyond.

He said:

“One of the most important things we do is helping people change their behaviours when it comes to energy. So many people are thinking about their energy use in the same way they did before 2020, but everything has changed since then.

“People can make a big difference by doing small things like switching off things at the mains rather than leaving them on standby. Switching off anything with a digital display like a microwave can save around £65 a year. And turning off lights when they’re not needed can save £25 a year. I do these things at home, and it all adds up.”

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