Supporting customers
Working with third parties
Energy suppliers should always be the first point of call for people struggling to pay their energy bills, as they may be able to provide additional support. However, we know that people can feel more comfortable going to third parties such as charities, MPs, and consumer groups for advice.
With many people needing extra support this winter, and various new support schemes in place, we wanted to ensure that front-line advisers have access to the latest up to date information so they can answer people’s questions and direct them to the best places for further advice.
We worked with Citizens Advice, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Ofgem to produce comprehensive Q&A documents (one for England and Wales, and one for Scotland) based on input from over 20 organisations, including consumer groups, charities and debt advice lines. These documents contain advice for domestic consumers based on the most frequently asked questions and highlight the financial and non-financial support available for people struggling to pay their energy bills. They also signpost to organisations that may be able to provide additional advice and support to consumers.
The Q&A documents were shared with over 100 groups, including community groups, charities and advice lines, and individuals including MPs – who have fed back to say they have been useful.
Energy UK will continue to work with consumer groups and charities by hosting a series of tailored webinars for customer-facing advisors to run through the support schemes in place and give them the opportunity to ask any questions.
If you would like to request a session, please contact press@energy-uk.org.uk