Telephone advice on cutting the costs of your bills and dealing with debt for low-income families.
Helen Dean is giving tailored 1:1 telephone advice on cutting the cost of your bills to families referred by professionals supporting them. Just email Helen at helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk with the family’s details and mobile telephone number, and Helen will get in touch.
If you wish to discuss a family’s situation first, please call Helen on 0773 8887612. Helen’s usual working days are Tuesday and Thursday, although sometimes these can vary.
Visiting groups to advise families/give a talk
Helen will attend groups where low-income families are coming along, to give bespoke advice to parents/a talk to groups as appropriate. Please contact Helen to discuss this further.
Training for support workers for families
Training for supporting low-income families with bills and utility debt can also be arranged for frontline workers, practitioners, and volunteers. These can be either short focused sessions or a webinar on all aspects of saving money on household bills and dealing with debt. Please email Helen if you are interested.
Links to websites with useful information on reducing home energy and water costs
Financial help for energy bills from the government in 2023
Please see the links below for all the details of help available this year –
If you are struggling to pay for your bills see:
Reducing energy usage at home
For tips please visit: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/energy-saving-tips/
Also https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/hub/quick-tips-to-save-energy/
Cost of running appliances in the home Use this tool to find out how much things cost to run in your home – https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-help-paying-your-bills/check-how-much-your-electrical-appliances-cost-to-use/
Thames Water discounts available for families on low-incomes
If you are on a low income and/or struggling to pay your water bill please call Thames Water’s Extra Care Services team and they will run through your options and the support available. You can reach them on 0800 009 3652 from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Thames Water Help – if your bill is more than 5% of your net income, you may be eligible for WaterHelp. This is also dependent on the number of occupants at the property.
Thames Water currently offers a 50% discount on your bill if you qualify. This amount may change in the future. To qualify, they’ll need to check your details and verify your income. https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/financial-support/waterhelp
Thames Watersure – for families on means-tested benefits who have 3 or more children, or where someone in the household has a water dependant medical condition. You need to have a water meter, but you can ask for one to be fitted. Thames WaterSure caps your bill at £471 per year in 2024-25 (£39.25 per month). See – https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/account-and-billing/financial-support/waterhelp
South East Water Social Tariffs for those on low-incomes
Discounts available for those on low incomes, and grants for water debt – https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/priority-services/help-paying-your-bill
Improving insulation measures and boiler repairs and replacement
Please see: https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency , and https://www.gov.uk/apply-great-british-insulation-scheme
Check if your Local Authority is offering HUG grants.
Comparing costs and switching supplier
This decision needs to be taken carefully and after some research to see if it is really going to save you money as the energy market is difficult to predict, and so are future costs the year ahead. I suggest checking what Martin Lewis at Money Saving Expert has to say, there are regular updates that give the pros and cons.
Struggling to pay your bills? – links to Citizens Advice for help and support
- What to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills
- You can’t afford to top up your prepayment meter
- Stop your energy supplier moving you to prepayment
- Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills
- Getting extra support from your energy supplier
The CCB Family Fuel and Water Poverty Project
Due to home energy price rises in April 2022 fuel poverty in the UK will affect 6.3 million households. It can seriously impact and individual’s health and well-being.
CCB delivers this project to bring advice and guidance on reducing home energy costs to low-income families, and the front-line workers who support them in Berkshire. Helen Dean is the Project Co-ordinator for this work.
This project delivers across Berkshire:
- Drop-in advice sessions or talks to groups where families meet in Berkshire (such as in Children’s Centres)
- Telephone advice and support through referrals from frontline workers supporting low-income families
- Training sessions for frontline workers supporting families on advice and support they can give
Helen is working in partnership with Children’s Centres, Homestart groups, Job Centres, and Health Visiting, Social Services and Young Carers teams.
This valuable advice will enable vulnerable families to reduce their home energy and water costs in a variety of ways, bespoke to the individual’s circumstances.
Funding Funding for this project is from Berkshire Community Foundation, Grocer’s Hall Charity, and the Sabina Sutherland Charitable Trust.
Helen has received very positive feedback on the evaluation of her project work; advising families, and giving talks to frontline workers on how they can signpost/advise their families to reduce their home energy costs. These include:
“The advice was very informative and although I thought I was on top of this stuff there is clearly a lot that I was not aware of.”
“It’s really helpful information that is needed for every family. Every little help makes a big difference.”
Comments on the bespoke telephone advice from families:
“I was struggling with my bills, lost, confused, and in a panic about my debt. After talking to Helen, I felt more confident, more relaxed, and brave to be able to talk to the energy company.”
Jurgita
“Thank you once again, you really have made it clear that we don’t have to spend so much to keep our house warm.”
Rosie
Comment on the training for frontline workers on energy and water advice and dealing with debt:
“This training was fantastic. I had no idea so much was available to assist people who face challenges fuelling their homes, and how to access grants and organisations. Thank you! Infinitely useful and so important.”
Hannah, Support Worker at Alana House, Domestic Abuse Charity.
Connecting Communities in Berkshire 