A North East charity says information and data should be simplified to help people understand their energy use.

Citizens Advice Sunderland have seen an increase in the number of young people presenting with issues around their utilities.

And in a bid to combat the rise and tackle the issue head-on, the team has recently started to proactively engage with younger families out and about in their local communities about financial literacy.

Citizens Advice Sunderland Manager Denise Irving said: “We’re getting busier as a service overall, but we’re seeing a big increase in the amount of young people seeking energy support.

“Energy and utility bills are often the last things on people’s minds when they first get a house or start a new tenancy.

“It’s the same as when someone buys a car – they may think that they can afford the £25 a week repayment, but that £25 turns into £45 or £50 when you factor in petrol, insurance and so on.

“People move into homes for the first time and then have the realisation that they have other bills to pay, and that’s when problems start. People usually remember to factor in the rent payment and even think about gas and electric but often forget about the water or grocery costs and this is when it starts to go wrong.

“Budgeting and financial literacy are a key to successful financial management.

“Energy bills aren’t actually that complicated, but information overload can make them look like it. We find that information has to be delivered in easy-to-understand chunks.”

The issue is one reason the charity recently started its school gate project aimed at helping to improve the financial literacy of young families in the area.

Denise added: “If you’re giving people too much information, they’re going to find it difficult and they’re not going to read it. Information needs to be given in short and simple bursts. We’ll be leaflet dropping at school gates in Sunderland to reach people who need support.

“We’re seeing some terrible situations at the moment so this is an opportunity to help people with whatever issue they may be facing.”

Denise also said the charity was currently seeing a spike in the number of 35-44-year-olds presenting for support. The team believe this is likely down to issues with the managed migration of Universal Credit and the locations the general cost of living hitting those who may not be prioritising energy bills.

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