Findings from the British Gas Energy Trust sixth roundtable event
THE BRITISH GAS ENERGY TRUST 20TH ANNIVERSARY ROUNDTABLE PROGRAMME
Date: 3 October 2024
Location: Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Objective: To ensure British Gas Energy Trust (the Trust) is supporting its local partner organisations as effectively as possible, with a particular focus on vulnerable and older people across the UK.
Introducing the event, Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “Our 20th anniversary is a moment to look forward, not back. This is the sixth in a series of round tables and we have had some brilliant discussions which have helped establish the key themes that will help drive our future direction. It has been fantastic to see our partners engaging with this process so enthusiastically.”
Key themes: Speakers from a diverse range of community groups and support organisations gathered to discuss their front-line work to address fuel poverty, with a particular focus on vulnerable and older people. They highlighted a range of challenges that are experienced by older people in Wales and across the UK, which can include low incomes, poor housing, digital exclusion and communication barriers.
Observations included:
It takes time and patience to build trust with older people to open up about their energy poverty challenges, which means some offerings of support provision, including phone and digital, can be less effective.
- Panellists agreed that older generations are often less inclined to access support services, and that, in their experience, they must work to earn their trust over a period of time – which often exceeds the boundaries set by their organisations.
- Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Age UK, said: “Older people are perhaps less likely to ask for help. They have a lot of pride and can often feel resigned to their circumstances, with a sense that they just have to manage with what they’ve got. Lack of trust is a barrier and many also struggle with the digital environment which means they can be excluded from many sources of support.”
- Diane Maynard, a Support Worker at the South Wales housing association POBL, said she has advised people aged up to 99-years-old. But Diane said: “Some people are terrified of speaking out about their issues. We have to build a rapport with them, which takes time, which can be weeks or even months.”
- Sian Best, a deafblind interpreter and Support Worker at Cadwyn Housing Association, talked about the complex additional needs of the vulnerable people she supports and the increased demand support services. She said: “I’m seeing people who are struggling with heating and eating every day, and we must do more to reach out to the older generation who find it difficult to ask for help. They are very proud and very private, so it takes a lot longer.”
- Ben Saltmarsh, Head of Wales for National Energy Action, the UK fuel poverty charity, said: “Longevity and consistency builds trust in communities. Funders like the Trust have a key role to play in funding agencies to provide ongoing support services.”
Outreach work in the communities where older people live can pay dividends in terms of reaching people who might need help but don’t ask for it or know what’s available to them.
- Outreach on the ground in communities can enable front line organisations to provide easier access to services in places where people feel more comfortable opening up about their problems.
- Barbara Kerridge is Chief Executive of Riverside Advice, which has been working to reduce poverty, deprivation and social exclusion in Cardiff since 1975. She said: “We deliver a high proportion of services through outreach, working in the mental health hospital, community centres and schools in deprived areas. Our experience is that face to face delivery is key for successful engagement with the most vulnerable people.”
- Ashley Comey, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Rhondda Cynon Taff, said: “We’ve tried and tested lots of ways to deliver advice and have found that you have to start with the client first. One of the most successful things we did was outreach at a local supermarket. It’s about being in the right place at the right time. For example, we always make sure our office in Pontypridd is open for longer on market days, when the town is busiest.”
- Andrew Sims, of Cardiff and Vale Mental Health Recovery & Wellbeing College, said: “Older mental patients can stay in hospital for a long time. When they are ultimately discharged there are huge financial challenges which mean they can end up isolated in a freezing home. There should be work going on in our hospitals to improve awareness among older people and their families about the support that’s available.”
Older people are rationing energy use and even self-disconnecting rather than asking for help, creating a hidden problem of fuel poverty among the elderly.
- Ben Saltmarsh said his organisation had commissioned a poll that found 51% of adults in Wales were likely to ration their energy use this winter. He said: “That’s really very concerning because, after the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, people are mired in record levels of energy debt and many are still trying to pay of their energy bill from last winter and even the winter before. It’s crippling households and the situation is only getting worse.”
- Lou Billingham is Customer Operations Director at British Gas. She said: “If people are self-rationing, sitting at home without heat or light, it’s much easier for us to spot if they are on a pre-payment meter. We can contact them and offer support. But if they are on a credit meter and they go into very low consumption mode it can be much harder to detect. But we wouldn’t advocate for vulnerable customers being on pre-payment meters.”
- Paul Farmer said: “We are constantly hearing that older people are making the choice to self-disconnect to avoid getting into debt. When you layer on the health challenges that older people can face, that is really problematic. This is one of the reasons why we are particularly concerned about the Winter Fuel Payment issue, which is a real challenge for an awful lot of older people.”
Next steps: The panellists were asked to share strategies and solutions which they believe would prove effective in tackling fuel poverty in disadvantaged communities.
There is an opportunity for more communication and collaboration between energy providers, the state and the third sector to help identify and support people who are already in fuel poverty, or who are in danger of falling into fuel poverty.
- The needs of older people could be better addressed through greater cross collaboration of organisations, both formal and informal.
- Paul Farmer said: “Partnership working is hugely important. We are totally agnostic about the partners we work with, be they in the in the energy sector or voluntary sector. We must play to each other’s strengths to create better outcomes for a group of people who are extremely vulnerable.”
- Barbara Kerridge said around 80% of the people Riverside Advice supports are referred to them by partners including charities, government agencies and utilities companies. She said: “The core to our work is our unique approach in targeting the most vulnerable people and providing access to our holistic services. Access is achieved through collaboration with our partners from all sectors. We have established extensive referral networks, with more than 100 organisations and services referring people to Riverside Advice, which is crucial in reducing barriers, improving access and enabling the early identification and intervention, providing best outcomes.”
- Lou Billingham said: “Many people who are struggling don’t engage with their energy companies. Some people are sceptical about energy companies’ desire to help, but some also feel embarrassment and shame and I fear that there are people who are suffering in silence. Our biggest opportunity to reach out to those customers is through referrals from our charity partners.”
- Tracey Price, Vulnerable Customer Community Manager at Welsh Water, said they provide training for front line charities, so they are aware of all the support that is available for vulnerable customers. They also enable partners to engage with Welsh water business on customers’ behalf to help achieve the best outcomes. She said: “Partnerships are key, and we rely on partners very heavily to help us identify vulnerable customers who need support.”
Renewables must be part of the long-term solution to energy poverty, but we must have a just transition that means all communities, including older people, enjoy all the benefits.
- The switch to more energy efficient technologies, including heat pumps and renewable energy, is now inevitable.
- Paul Gwilym is Chief Executive of Boomerang, a charity fighting to combat poverty in Cardiff. He said: “Solar energy is the way forward. I’m working on a pilot whereby businesses that have solar panels can donate some of the energy they generate to people in poverty. It’s early days but it could be a game changer for the nation. We need to get businesses and energy companies round the table to work more closely together to maximise the help that can be provided.”
- Abi Robins is Director of Responsible Business at Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, which is backing Boomerang. An initial trial will see energy from solar panels at Boomerang’s headquarters benefit another of the round table panellists, Riverside Advice. She said: “In the long term there’s huge potential to think about how we use renewable energy to support people out of fuel poverty.”
- But Vicki Lloyd, Chief Executive of Age Cymru, warned that longer term sustainability ambitions must not take resources away from initiatives that provide urgent relief for people in fuel poverty. And she said: “As we move towards carbon reduction, we must make sure that we take older people with us, providing the information they need to understand what we are trying to achieve and what it means for them in an empathetic way.”
Too many older people live in poor quality housing that exacerbate fuel poverty. Targeted home improvements, including insulation, must be part of the solution.
- Ben Saltmarsh said Wales was particularly afflicted by poor housing stock. He said: “Poor housing is a key driver of fuel poverty. Some people live in homes that are so inefficient that they simply can’t be kept warm for any reasonable cost. Wales faces greater challenges because it has the oldest, coldest, leakiest housing, not just in the UK but in all of northern Europe. And the issue is even worse for older people, who spend more time at home.” He added: “The long-term sustainable solution to fuel poverty is to make people’s homes warmer, greener, happier places to live, supported by energy efficiency advice. But the people who need that the most are the same people who can least afford it.”
- Andrew Sims said he had personally experienced fuel poverty and had resorted to using a sleeping bag to keep warm before having a new boiler fitted through the Welsh Government’s Warm Homes Nest scheme. He said: “It was much more efficient than the clapped out one I had before, and it had a thermostat with a timer. That meant I could control how much I was spending much more effectively. Along with some advice on how to use energy more efficiently, it made a significant difference.”
Common themes
This was the sixth in a series of seven roundtables discussions being held around the country, which have so far focused on physical and mental health, young people, rural communities and carers, and several common themes are now emerging:
- Fuel poverty is rarely an issue that exists in isolation and a holistic approach can better understand and address all the factors that contribute to fuel debt.
- Front-line organisations from different sectors (funders, charities, housing associations and local authorities) can work together more effectively to deliver support in this way.
- Having a central source of information on all available support services could help drive awareness and accessibility for frontline advisors and customers.
- Longer-term funding provision can help front line service organisations plan more strategically and build stronger connections with the communities they serve, including through face-to-face engagement.
- Those in debt, including energy debt, can experience feelings of shame and despair, making them reluctant to seek help. There is a need to create an environment where they feel comfortable asking for help, recognising self-serve and digital is not suitable for the highest deciles of need.
- While providing ‘sticking plaster’ support such as fuel vouchers does not provide a long-term solution, it is an opportunity to build trust and establish longer-term relationships that can enable more permanent resolutions.
Read more about the Trust’s roundtables here.