A pioneering project has helped hundreds of people from Scotland’s minoritised ethnic communities gain the knowledge and confidence to better manage their energy bills.

A new outcomes report from Changeworks, delivered in partnership with the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO), highlights the impact of their Energy Saving for All project, which has been designed to ensure energy advice reaches households that are often overlooked by mainstream support services.

Changeworks works across a range of sectors to deliver high-quality services and secure positive outcomes for householders. Its expertise includes energy advice and support, retrofit delivery and management, and developing innovative retrofit solutions.

The initiative, which is funded by British Gas Energy Trust, recognises that many people face additional barriers when seeking help with their energy costs, including language differences, unfamiliarity with the UK energy system, distrust of institutions, insecure housing and limited access to culturally appropriate advice.

By working through trusted community organisations, providing multilingual resources and recruiting volunteers from within the communities they serve, the project has created a more accessible and inclusive way for people to access support.

During 2025/26 alone, the project:

  • Delivered 51 community outreach events across Scotland
  • Provided face-to-face energy advice to more than 600 people
  • Trained 11 volunteers across nine Scottish regions, enabling support in 22 different languages
  • Distributed more than £5,000 in community support payments to help local organisations deliver events and encourage participation

Rather than expecting people to seek out support themselves, the project takes advice directly into community settings where people already meet, including faith groups, community centres and local events. This approach has helped build trust and encouraged people to ask questions they may otherwise have felt uncomfortable raising.

Alongside practical advice on topics such as understanding energy bills, using heating systems efficiently, tackling damp and condensation, and accessing financial support, participants have also been referred for more specialist assistance where appropriate.

Among those attending such sessions was Layla*, who was struggling with high energy costs while balancing caring responsibilities and living with health conditions. She received practical advice, translated resources, a warm pack and hot water bottle, and was referred for further support from an Affordable Warmth Advisor. Finding the session so valuable, Layla encouraged her family members to access the service too, helping arrange support for them. She later even won an air fryer in the event prize draw.

The report findings come at a time when fuel poverty continues to affect many households across Scotland. Around 29% of Scottish households were estimated to be living in fuel poverty in 2024, with evidence showing that minoritised ethnic communities often face a higher risk due to factors including poorer housing, greater reliance on private rented accommodation and less familiarity with the UK energy market.

Isa Kristiansen-Bragg, Low Carbon Communities Team Manager at Changeworks, said: “From the outset, we knew people from minoritised ethnic communities were underrepresented in the support we were providing, despite being at greater risk of fuel poverty. What this project has shown is that the need is even greater than we anticipated. Many people face multiple barriers – from language and trust to childcare, transport and accessibility – which means traditional approaches simply don’t reach everyone. We’ve learned that we have to meet people where they are, work alongside trusted community organisations and deliver support in ways that reflect people’s needs and experiences.

“We’re incredibly proud of what this project has achieved so far. The data shows it’s making a real difference, but it’s the feedback from individuals, community partners and our advisers that brings the impact to life. We see people recommending the service to family and friends, partners asking us to come back again and again, and advisers leaving sessions knowing they’ve genuinely helped someone. Together, those things tell us this approach is working – and that there’s a real opportunity to reach and support many more people in the future.”

*name changed to protect identity