The Centre’s Energy Advice team and people we support have been consulted by experts in the field. The aim was to understand the impact of the energy crisis and the importance of timely energy advice services.
Events held at the Centre have been attended by Jonathan Brierley, CEO of the industry regulator Ofgem, (shown above) as well as Money Advice and Pensions, Tower Hamlets council and housing associations. Local people, who’ve been supported with energy advice and assistance during the ongoing crisis, were invited to share their experiences.
The first event showcased the work carried out by the energy advice team and looked at how this type of support benefits the community and the lasting impact it has had. The group looked at key findings and identified challenges from a 2022/23 energy evaluation report which can be viewed here.
Roundtable discussions took place to share learnings, discuss the challenges and listen to people’s stories. Social Energy Tariffs were discussed and participants all supported a campaign seeking more energy help for vulnerable households, signing a joint letter to the Prime Minster. The importance of continuing to fund organisations like the Centre was also highlighted to enable energy advice support to continue and expertise to be shared in the local community.
Ofgem said: “Thank you for hosting the event. Jonathan enjoyed the opportunity to meet advisors working on the front line and the gained insight into the issues and challenges that they and consumers are having. It gave him a huge amount to think about and we understand he has already spoken to other members of the Centre’s senior team about how we action some of the issues raised.”
On another occasion, our funder, British Gas Energy Trust spent over three hours at an event on site, meeting advisors and community members to learn about the importance of energy advice and the impact of the funding they provide to us and other organisations. This was another opportunity to highlight the value of the support provided by the energy advice team to people struggling with energy bills.
