Our Community Engagement and Energy Advice Services (CEEAS) team recently hit its targets for the Rural Affordable Warmth (RAW) project.
The RAW project is funded by Octopus Energy and run in partnership with three Highland branches of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. It supports Highland residents with energy advice and fuel poverty alleviation, combined with debt and welfare advice.
Changeworks has previously highlighted that fuel poverty is disproportionately high in rural Scotland, so we know how vital services like RAW can be.
What did the project achieve?
The RAW project team:
- Successfully achieved the target of supporting 655 vulnerable Highland residents
- Exceeded the client financial gains target, achieving £588,247 for clients in six months (245% of the target)
- Delivered 12 engagement events across the Highlands, reaching from Nairn and Inverness to Wick and Thurso
- Built and strengthened partnerships across the region, linking in with 14 separate referral organisations, and ten other groups inviting them along to speak in their communities
Householder stories: Zarak and Nicole
Beyond these encouraging statistics, we’re also pleased to be able to share stories from two householders who received help through the RAW project.
Zarak’s story
Zarak is a refugee who lives in a Local Authority house with his wife and four children. He’d recently switched energy supplier but suspected that the old supplier was still charging him.
The advisor from the CEEAS team contacted both suppliers and uncovered a complicated situation where Zarak was paying the wrong supplier. At the same time, he was accumulating debt with his actual supplier.
After explaining the situation to Zarak, the advisor helped him to get a refund of the incorrect payments. He also negotiated affordable ongoing payments to Zarak’s actual supplier, as well as payments to clear his previous debt. Additionally, the advisor helped Zarak to understand his heating better, empowering him to lower his ongoing energy costs.
Zarak is now more in control of his energy usage and confident that he can keep his family warm through the winter. With the advisor’s help, he is making a saving of £2,772 a year on his energy costs.
Nicole’s story
Nicole lives with her husband and seven children in an old croft house. Their home has very poor insulation and is hard to heat. Just before Christmas, Nicole and her family received unexpected bills, leaving them no funds to buy oil for their heating.
The CEEAS advisor helped Nicole to free up funds that had been kept aside for the children’s Christmas presents. They supported Nicole to apply to the Cash For Kids Mission Christmas fund, which provides presents to children who otherwise wouldn’t receive anything on Christmas day.
The successful application meant that the family were no longer faced with the choice of a cold Christmas or no gifts. Nicole could now afford to buy oil and the children received Christmas presents through the Cash For Kids fund.