Energy Champions Programme

We will develop a Community Energy Champion Programme to support those hard to reach vulnerable residents who wouldn’t otherwise engage with our existing affordable warmth service and welfare provision. Our Energy Champion programme will recruit 10 local volunteers from fuel poverty hotspot areas from across the borough to become Community Energy Champions. The volunteers will be recruited based on their existing connections to their local communities and the knowledge and understanding they have of their local areas. They would act as connectors and enable those families who wouldn’t necessarily seek help from public services to access the relevant advice and support. The Champions would help to breakdown those fears and act as link between front line services and the local community.

Our Community Energy Champions will be up skilled and trained to provide brief advice and interventions in energy advice, energy switching , fuel debt. They will understand the professional support available through the AWARM plus service, the wider welfare and lifestyle services and understand how to refer and access those services. The training would include Fuel Poverty and Health, City and Guilds level 2 Energy and fuel Debt advice, and RSPH Understanding Health Improvement, In Mind awareness session and Dementia Friends. As part of our bid we would like to recruit a champion coordinator who would be responsible for identifying, recruiting and supporting the volunteers.

Our bid will also include a PR campaign which would include resources to promote the programme and community road show events at 4 locations.