Tooting Energy Advice service takes off

If you've never switched energy company before and are on a standard tariff, did you know you could make an average saving of around £300 per year on your bills by switching?

Tips like this are exactly why CREW’s free energy advice helpline is proving useful for the residents of Tooting!

We are piloting a hyper-local, multilingual approach focusing on the Tooting Ward. The team are creating links with local organisations to generate referrals, such as Wandle Housing Association, DONS Local Action Group (a network of Covid-19 volunteers) and Mushkil Aasaan. Project flyers are available in Hindi, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu and CREW can offer advice in these languages as well as French, Polish and Portuguese.
 
Our energy advice is aimed at people on low incomes, older people, families with young children, people with long-term health conditions or anyone else who is vulnerable in some way. We aim to save people money, assist them in navigating the often-confusing world of energy companies and tariffs, and make sure people are getting all the discounts, funding, freebies and support they are eligible for.

One of our clients saved £440! Read on to hear just some of our success stories.

Looking forward to getting our face-to-face energy cafes back!

​Below are stories from some of the people we have helped so far, including their situations, what we did to help and how much money they saved. For reasons of confidentiality, we have referred to them as "Resident X", but they are all real (and typical) examples of the kinds of problems our energy advisors tackle on a daily basis.

Resident 1

“I got invaluable free advice from CREW Energy and without it, I would not have got through the most difficult of times... I now know how to manage my energy usage and what it means to save money.”

Resident 1 was concerned when her electricity bills doubled. No one had ever explained to her about how estimated energy bills and Economy 7 work, or about everyday behaviours that can use a lot of electricity.

​Our adviser went through all this with her and referred her for an eligibility check for a grant for a fully funded heating system!

Resident 2

Resident 2 is a pensioner with health conditions that get worse in cold weather, who was struggling to pay for her energy and water bills.

Our CREW adviser saved her £192 by comparing energy providers using the Citizens Advice Energy Comparison Tool and switching her to a cheaper tariff with a different company. He also applied for a discount for the client’s water bill, getting her a 50% discount with Thames Water, and signed her up to the UKPN Priority Services Register to get her extra support going forwards.

Resident 3

​Resident 3 is a single mum with two children under five who is out of work and receiving benefits. She found out about CREW’s energy advice service via a local food bank. She was spending around £200 on her prepayment meter every month, as she lives in a cold flat and wanted to keep her children warm in winter. She had fallen into £270 of debt with her water bill and had been borrowing money from friends. She only speaks Spanish so had not been able to contact her energy and water suppliers.
 
Our Spanish-speaking CREW adviser helped the client switch her prepayment meters to a smart credit meter, gave her energy-saving tips along with an emergency fuel voucher for £26 and helped her apply for the Warm Home Discount, which gave her an additional £140 credit on her electricity. Through these changes, the client saved a total of £440!
 
Our adviser also helped with the client’s water bill by applying for the Customer Assistance Fund, where the client was able to pay £10 towards her debt every month, eventually clearing her water debt.

​To make an appointment with our advisors and see how much you could save, call 0800 086 2706 or email [email protected].
 
Anyone who makes an appointment quoting 'TOOTING' will be entered into a draw to win £100 worth of Love To Shop vouchers!
 
Even if this service isn’t for you, it would really help us if you could let people know about it, whether it’s a friend, family member or via any groups or networks you’re involved with in Tooting or nearby. Get in touch if you want to know more.