Over £5m in Ofgem Redress Funds Awarded To Charities Supporting The Vulnerable

Energy Saving Trust today announced the list of successful applicants from round six of the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme (Energy Redress Scheme). The scheme awarded over £5 million to 28 charities across the UK, to help people in vulnerable positions heat and power their homes.

The successful charities will receive grants ranging from £36,000 to £439,000.

Round six’s successful recipients of funds include the Lancashire BME Network, who will deliver bespoke and culturally sensitive energy advice in several languages; Venus Working Creatively, which has a project to support vulnerable women with energy advice, and Caudwell Children, whose award will support families and children with disabilities.

National Energy Action, who operate in the North East, Yorkshire and London has been awarded a grant from the Energy Redress Scheme Innovation Fund to support over 7,000 vulnerable households to explore ways to maximise the benefits of having solar PV systems on their homes. The Innovation Fund is aimed at developing products or services, which are truly innovative and not currently accessible to energy consumers or certain groups of energy consumers.

Since the Energy Redress Scheme launched in 2018, Energy Saving Trust has awarded over £12.3 million in grant funding to more than 70 charities across England, Scotland and Wales. These grants have enabled charities to deliver projects that help energy consumers in vulnerable situations to save energy and money in their homes and to live warmer, more comfortable lives.

Energy Redress Scheme continues throughout this period of Coronavirus - COVID-19

The Energy Redress Scheme is continuing to allocate funding to projects to ensure vulnerable households have access to appropriate support during this unprecedented and difficult time. Those planning to apply to the Energy Redress Scheme in Round 7 should consider how their project can have the maximum positive impact for people who are especially at risk in the current situation. Charities will also need adjust and adapt their working practices to comply with government guidance. Our Development Officers will continue to offer support and advice to charities applying to the scheme.

Graham Ayling, Energy Redress Senior Project Manager commented “The grants we have announced today will support frontline charities at a crucial time. The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting people in vulnerable situations especially hard and putting many more people in a position where they struggle to pay their fuel bills. The charities that the Energy Redress Scheme supports are working hard to adapt to social distancing and continue providing support to those who need it most.”

Further information on the projects funded to date can be found here.

Charities interested in applying to the scheme must register before submitting an application via the application page.