Projects of energy advice for expectant mothers and families with low income, reducing risk of fuel poverty for harder to reach and BME communities and in-depth support for 1,500 vulnerable households are among the projects to secure funding in the latest round of the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme.
Managed and delivered by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of Ofgem, the Energy Redress Scheme collects voluntary payments from energy companies that may have breached rules.
Cathryn Scott, director of enforcement and emerging issues for Ofgem, commented on the latest funding round: “At a time when so many households face hardships and are struggling to manage bills, these programmes have provided crucial advice and support to thousands of vulnerable energy consumers, making a real difference to their lives.”
The funds are distributed to charities in Great Britain to deliver projects that benefit and support energy consumers in vulnerable situations.
Round nine of the scheme, saw 10 charities that work across England, Scotland and Wales receiving grants ranging from £24,000 to £450,000.
The recent grants awarded brings the total number of projects funded to 130, with over £21 million distributed to charities to support vulnerable energy customers across Great Britain.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, the projects have delivered the following outputs to date:
- energy advice provided to over 59,000 households
- 93 new jobs created and 460 volunteering opportunities
- over 7,000 small energy saving measures installed or provided to vulnerable households
- over 6,000 households referred for additional support
- over £1.45 million in recorded savings through advice
The scheme will reopen its tenth round to applications on Thursday 14 January with £10 million available to charities in England, Scotland and Wales, that will include the following funding streams:
- The main fund containing £8 million aimed at projects seeking grants between £50,000 and £2 million.
- The small project fund containing £500,000 aimed at projects seeking grants between £20,000 and £49,999.
- The innovation fund containing £1.5 million aimed at projects that will develop innovative products or services to benefit energy consumers.
Applicants can apply for grants between £50,000 and £750,000.
The deadline for applications in the next round is 5pm on Thursday 11 February 2021.
Only charities that are registered with the Energy Redress Scheme and have passed the due diligence process can apply to open funding rounds.
More information about applying for the funding and successful projects is available on the Energy Redress Scheme website.
