How one of our advisers helped save a client over £10,000

April 2024

National Energy Action Project Development Co-ordinator Phil Povey explains how he helped change a struggling client’s life by helping her with her energy debt.

Our dedicated team of energy advisers solve our clients’ issues every day. We’ve worked for over four decades to ensure that low-income households can keep their homes warm, safe and healthy. This has never been an easy task, but the challenges have never been more difficult. The combination of the energy crisis making bills unaffordable for 6 million UK households and the UK having some of the poorest housing stock in Europe has led to householders owing a record amount of debt to their energy suppliers.

Our Project Development Co-ordinator Phil Povey has recently helped change the life of one of our clients. Silvia* was one of millions struggling with the cost of energy. She lives alone in a rented housing association property. She had a series of mental health issues and was on a credit meter. Despite being worried about the high cost of her meters and fearing there was a technical issue, she was afraid to speak with her supplier, worried that the cost would only increase further.

Silvia couldn’t disconnect completely, not that anybody should ever have to consider that drastic option, so the debt continued to rise. By the time Phil spoke to Silvia, she owed over £10,000 of debt to her energy supplier.

The debt felt inescapable and kept rising with every month. When Silvia got in touch with us, she didn’t think there was anything anybody could do. However, our determined energy adviser Phil spent time understanding the issue and contacting her supplier. After a lot of work, he was able to call Silvia with the incredible news that her bills were now manageable and she no longer had thousands of pounds of debt.

As a result of Phil’s work, Silvia’s supplier has agreed that if she can pay her bill of £121.77 for the next six months – they will clear the debt of over £10,000! We also provided Silvia with energy saving tips and provided her with small energy efficiency measures to make this achievable.

This was an exceptional case, and we can’t promise something like this to everyone, but what we can promise is that we will support those who need it most. If you are struggling you can get in touch with our Warm and Safe Homes advice service. We also have a wealth of advice resources on our website.

Currently, one in four households are in fuel poverty, unable to stay warm at the coldest time of the year, so if you are struggling, please don’t be ashamed. Contact National Energy Action, your supplier or a trusted advice agency. You are not alone.

*The client’s name has been changed for anonymity.