The £1.7 million scheme, funded by Decc and National Energy Action (NEA), consists of training and grant funding for eligible third sector organisations to support vulnerable customers in reducing their energy bills, assisting with switching, tariffs and the take up of energy efficiency offers.
Eligible organisations for grants of up to £5,000 include faith groups, registered social landlords and parish councils.
The Network was launched in 2013 to complement campaigns such as Big Energy Saving Week and Energy Best Deal in bringing together trusted third sector and community bodies to provide targeted, personalised advice that can help bring down the energy costs of some of the country’s most vulnerable consumers.
During the first year of delivery, Decc appointed Sheffield Hallam University to conduct a full independent evaluation of the 2013/14 programme, which it found reached more than 90,000 low-income and vulnerable consumers – around 16,000 via workshops and a further 78,000 through frontline workers.
Nearly one third of attendees to workshops got in touch with their energy supplier about their tariffs, or switched supplier, or applied
for an Energy Company Obligation (Eco) assessment, it found. And around half (51 per cent) say they now spend less on heating their home because of their engagement with the scheme.
Success continued into the second and third years of the scheme, which provided support and advice to around 130,000 customers in 2014/15, and a similar number again in 2015/16.
The Energy Company Obligation (Eco) is due to come to a close in March 2017 and enter a transitional year before a new scheme is announced in 2018. The Eco scheme requires suppliers to install energy efficiency measures such as solid wall installation into domestic properties.