Energy UK’s Vulnerability Commitment now boasts 13 signatories and covers more than 90% of UK homes, with Utilita becoming the latest retailer to sign up to the commitment.
The voluntary initiative was launched by the trade body in 2020 in a bid to drive up customer standards over and above suppliers’ existing obligations. It is based on three key principles of accessibility, innovation and collaboration.
The addition of prepayment meter (PPM) specialist retailer Utilita means suppliers signed up to the Vulnerability Commitment now cover more than 90% of UK homes.
Louise Walsh, chief customer contact officer at Utilita, said: “We are deeply committed to supporting our customers and have provided £160 million in financial assistance to help them through the cost-of-living crisis.
“Promoting the power of energy efficiency long before others followed suit, Utilita has also helped millions of households make their energy spend go further through initiatives such as High5 and Shop Smart, Cook Savvy.
“But our focus is prevention, rather than cure. As the UK supplier with proportionately more smart-enabled households, we use our data to introduce measures and support to enable a healthier, and more sustainable relationship with energy affordability.
“Our most recent research with the University of Oxford revealed, for the first time, the actual size of the fuel poverty gap in monetary terms.
“Joining Energy UK’s Vulnerability Commitment, which we are delighted to be a signatory of, will allow us to share our innovative approach with industry stakeholders.”
Steve Crabb, chair of the Vulnerability Commitment, said: “I’m delighted that Utilita have signed up to the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment. I know they’ve been doing really interesting and important work on using data to identify customers who need extra help, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they can help drive innovation and collaboration across the industry.
“Crucially, this takes us even closer to our goal of getting 100% of British households under the protection of the commitment. This winter has been the toughest yet for many energy customers – we’d like to see every household in Britain benefit from the protection of the Energy UK Vulnerability Commitment.”