Energy Best Deal. Evaluation Report, 2014/2015. July Prepared by: Centre for Sustainable Energy. 3 St Peter s Court.

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1 f Energy Best Deal Evaluation Report, 2014/2015 July 2015 Prepared by: Centre for Sustainable Energy 3 St Peter s Court Bedminster Parade Bristol BS3 4AQ Tel: Fax: Web: info@cse.org.uk Registered charity no

2 Contents Contents Summary of key findings Methods Consumers: questionnaire responses Consumers: follow up interviews Frontline workers: questionnaire responses Frontline workers: follow up interviews Quality of the presentation and materials 2013/2014 participant interviews consumers 2013/2014 participant interviews frontline workers Case studies Energy Best Deal Extra Summary Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 2

3 Summary of key findings The Energy Best Deal programme seeks to inform domestic energy consumers about how they could reduce their energy costs: by changing tariff, payment method and / or supplier and taking up energy efficiency measures, and by providing debt advice. Run by Citizens Advice in England and Wales and Citizens Advice Scotland in Scotland, the programme offers domestic energy consumers and frontline workers (both paid workers and volunteers) the opportunity to attend an information session on getting a better deal on their energy bills. Between October 2014 and April 2015, 1,186 sessions were delivered by 94 delivery partners 1 across the 14 regions of the Citizens Advice Financial Capability Forums in England and Wales, and 184 sessions were delivered by 19 Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland. In total during 2014/2015, the programme reached 9,068 consumers and 4,914 frontline workers. The programme will have an ongoing impact through the consumer advice work of the frontline workers. A second related programme run by Citizens Advice, Energy Best Deal Extra (EBDx), provides one to one advice appointments to consumers, delivered by advisors in Citizens Advice Bureaux. In , 5,050 Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointments were delivered by 93 bureaux in England and Wales, and 997 advice appointments were delivered by 19 bureaux in Scotland. This report describes the results of evaluations of both the Energy Best Deal and the Energy Best Deal Extra programmes, over 2014/2015. For Energy Best Deal, the evaluation was carried out using paper questionnaires completed immediately following the session, and follow up telephone interviews carried out an average of three months after the session. A total of 9,388 questionnaires and 301 telephone interviews were completed. The ongoing effect of the Energy Best Deal 2013/2014 programme was also investigated, using a smaller sample of 50 interviews with people who attended Energy Best Deal sessions in 2013/2014. For Energy Best Deal Extra, consumers attending one to one advice appointments provided their contact details if they were happy to be interviewed. In depth, semi structured telephone interviews were carried out with 70 people who attended Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments. Impact of the 2014/2015 programme consumers In total, 9,068 consumers attended the Energy Best Deal sessions, and questionnaire responses were received from 6,015 consumers, 66% of all consumers who attended sessions. 1 The Financial Capability Forums are open to all organisations in a region with an interest in financial education. They meet quarterly and provide a way for member organisations to share experiences and resources and to develop new partnerships. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 3

4 Of the consumer questionnaire respondents, 4,440 (74%) attended sessions in England, 732 (12%) in Scotland, and 843 (14%) in Wales. Almost all consumers (97%) who responded said they found the session useful. Eighty nine percent of consumers who responded to the questionnaire said they would probably or definitely do something as a result of the session. One hundred and fifty consumers were interviewed by telephone an average of three months after the session. Fifty one (33%) had looked for a better deal on their energy bills since the session. Of these fifty one who looked for a better deal, 29 were offered a better deal (either by their own supplier or a different supplier), with 28 of these (18% of all consumer interviewees) switching or planning to switch to the better deal. Consumers were also asked about other actions relating to seeking further advice, energy efficiency and applying for grants and other support. When these actions are also taken into account, 57% of consumer interviewees had taken some kind of action following the session. Twenty six percent of consumer interviewees had taken some kind of action to save energy in their home, as a result of the session. Since the session, 14 people (9%) had applied for the Warm Home Discount. Impact of the 2014/2015 programme frontline workers In total, 4,914 frontline workers attended Energy Best Deal sessions, and questionnaire responses were received from 3,373 frontline workers, 69% of all those who attended sessions. Of the frontline worker questionnaire respondents, 2,634 attended sessions in England, 442 in Scotland, and 297 in Wales. Ninety eight percent of frontline workers said they felt better informed following the session: 55% to a great extent and 43% to some extent. Eighty four percent of frontline workers said the session had changed their opinion on the importance of fuel poverty to the people they work with. Thirty percent of frontline workers estimated that between 60% and 80% of their clients were experiencing, or were at risk of, fuel poverty. A further 17% estimated this figure to be 80% 100% of their clients. Following the session, 3,162 frontline workers (94%) said they felt more confident advising on at least one of the topics covered in the presentation, while only 170 (5%) felt less confident in one or more topics. Of the 151 frontline workers who were interviewed three months after the session, 74% had given advice on getting a better deal on energy supply, and 68% had advised on energy efficiency. Where frontline workers had given advice on Energy Best Deal topics following the session, 87 (58%) said they would not have been able to provide as much information to clients if they had not attended the session. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 4

5 On average, frontline workers interviewed rated their level of knowledge across all topics covered in the presentation as higher after the presentation than before the presentation, with the largest increase being in finding the best deal on energy and dealing with suppliers. In an average of three months since the session, frontline workers had passed on information from the session to a median of seven clients. As a proportion of all clients seen in this time, the clients advised on Energy Best Deal topics ranged from 1% to 100% of all clients. Ongoing impact of the 2013/2014 programme Follow up telephone interviews were conducted with 25 consumers and 25 frontline workers who attended Energy Best Deal sessions in the previous campaign, 2013/2014. There was evidence that the session had an ongoing impact for some of the consumers in terms of making them aware of energy consumption and making the idea of switching less intimidating. The majority of frontline workers interviewed said they had learnt something at the session which had been useful to them in their work since then. Energy Best Deal Extra One hundred and twelve Citizens Advice Bureaux were involved in delivering one to one 'Energy Best Deal Extra' advice appointments to a total of 6,047 clients to the end of April Seventy people who attended an Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointment were selected at random and interviewed by telephone following the appointment. Sixty three people (90%) who were interviewed said that they found the advice appointments useful. Participants received energy related advice on: high energy bills (24 people), tariff switching (11 people), the Warm Home Discount (five people), reducing energy use (eight people) and energy efficiency measures (three people). Five participants switched tariffs or providers during the advice appointment. Three people were found to be eligible for the Warm Home Discount and had received the payment at the time of interview. Seven participants were able to split energy debts into affordable repayments following the contact made to energy suppliers during the appointments. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 5

6 The Energy Best Deal programme Energy Best Deal is a consumer campaign developed by Ofgem and run by Citizens Advice in England and Wales and Citizens Advice Scotland in Scotland. For 2014/2015, Citizens Advice secured funding of million from British Gas, EDF Energy, First Utility, Scottish Power, SSE and Utility Warehouse. This funding covers both the Energy Best Deal group sessions and the Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments. Energy Best Deal (the group sessions) provides trainer led group sessions to frontline workers and consumers. Sessions raise awareness on how to: reduce energy costs by switching tariff, payment method and/ or supplier; get help from suppliers and government if paying energy bills is a struggle; and save money by being more energy efficient at home. The Energy Best Deal programme started with a pilot funded by Ofgem in 2008 and was then rolled out across England and Wales; it has been running annually in England and Wales since then. In Scotland, Energy Best Deal was first delivered in 2010/2011 by Consumer Focus Scotland to frontline workers only, and since 2011/2012 has been delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland to both frontline workers and consumers. Between October 2014 and April 2015, 1,186 sessions were delivered by 94 delivery partners 2 across the 14 regions of the Citizens Advice Financial Capability Forums in England and Wales, and 184 sessions were delivered by 19 Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland. In total during 2014/2015, the programme reached 9,068 consumers and 4,914 frontline workers. In 2013, Citizens Advice obtained funding for 99 Bureaux to provide one to one follow up advice appointments, called 'Energy Best Deal Extra'. These were offered to attendees of Energy Best Deal sessions, as well as through other channels such as referral by a case worker or attendance at a financial capability session. This ran from January 2013 to April The programme ran again in winter and In , 5,050 Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointments were delivered by 94 bureaux in England and Wales, and 997 advice appointments were delivered by 19 bureaux in Scotland. 2 The Financial Capability Forums are open to all organisations in a region with an interest in financial education. They meet quarterly and provide a way for member organisations to share experiences and resources and to develop new partnerships. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 6

7 Methods Energy Best Deal group sessions A survey of consumers was conducted at the end of each Energy Best Deal session using a self completion questionnaire distributed by the trainer. The delivery partner then input this information into an online form using the web tool Survey Monkey. The web tool collated the responses into a spreadsheet format which was then passed to the evaluator. The total number of valid responses from consumers was 6,015. A survey of frontline workers was conducted in the same manner. The total number of valid responses from frontline workers was 3,373. In both the consumer and frontline worker questionnaires, some respondents omitted answers for some questions, and so all the percentages given in this report are calculated as percentages of the total number of respondents who gave answers to the relevant questions. An average of three months after the session, a telephone survey of consumers (n=150) and frontline workers (n=151) was carried out, using information provided on the self completion questionnaires. The ongoing effect of the 2013/2014 programme was also evaluated, using telephone interviews with 25 consumers and 25 frontline workers who attended Energy Best Deal sessions in 2013/2014. The questionnaires and interview questions were designed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy, with input from Citizens Advice and Ofgem. Analysis of the 2014/2015 questionnaires and interviews was undertaken using the statistical analysis software R. In order to assist statistical analysis, the questionnaires and interview schedules consisted mostly of closed questions, with a limited number of open questions. This report shows the results for England, Scotland and Wales combined. Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments The Survey Monkey web tool was also used to collect contact details of people who had attended Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments and were happy to be contacted for a telephone interview. Telephone interviews were undertaken with seventy of these people, who were selected at random. The advice appointments could cover a wide variety of topics and situations and so the telephone interviews used very open questions in order to capture this. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 7

8 Throughout this report, the main Energy Best Deal group sessions are referred to as 'sessions', 'presentations' and 'training', while the Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments are referred to as 'appointments' and 'meetings'. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 8

9 Consumers: questionnaire responses Demographic information In total questionnaire responses were received from 6,015 consumers who attended the Energy Best Deal sessions: 74% of these were from consumers in England, 12% in Scotland, and 14% in Wales. This represents 66% of the 9,068 consumers who attended Energy Best Deal sessions (the rest either were not submitted or a questionnaire was not completed). Figure 1 shows how the questionnaire responses were divided between the three countries, while Figure 2 to Figure 4 3 show demographic characteristics of the consumer respondents. A breakdown of the questionnaire results by country can be found in the Annex Report. Figure 1: Country of respondents 3 Not all respondents answered all questions on the questionnaire forms. Throughout this report, the results are shown as percentages of those that answered the specific question. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 9

10 Figure 2: Age of respondents Figure 3: Tenure of respondents Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 10

11 Figure 4: Occupation of respondents Several respondents identified themselves as having more than one occupation (for example, a student and a carer) and so the percentages in Figure 4 sum to more than 100. Attitudes to bills To find out how consumers coped with heating their home in winter, they were asked two questions. The first asked whether they were able to heat their home to a comfortable level (Figure 5) and the second asked about their winter fuel bills (Figure 6). Thirty two percent of respondents said they were not able to heat their home to a comfortable level, with the majority (21%) saying they did not use the heating as much as they would like due to the cost, and the rest (11%) saying that they could not heat their home sufficiently due to the quality of the building fabric or the heating system. Thirty nine percent said that they had no concerns about their winter fuel bills. Thirty nine percent said it was a worry, 18% said they found their winter bills a financial strain, and a small minority (4%) said that their winter bills were impossible to manage and they were in debt to their fuel supplier. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 11

12 Figure 5: Can you heat your home to a comfortable level in winter? Figure 6: Attitudes to winter fuel bills Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 12

13 Experience and knowledge of switching prior to the session Thirty percent of respondents had already switched suppliers once in the past, while a further 19% had switched more than once, making a total of 39% who had switched in the past. Nearly three quarters (74%) of those who had switched in the past were proactive switchers, having switched of their own initiative to get a better deal; the rest were reactive switchers, switching in response to an approach from a fuel company salesperson. Those switching as a result of an approach by an energy supplier salesperson may not have considered the full range of tariffs available to them before switching. Fifty five percent of respondents said they had never switched to a different tariff with the same supplier, while 28% had done so and the other 17% did not know whether they had or not. In total 58% of respondents had switched either supplier or tariff on at least one occasion. The impact of the session Ninety seven percent of those who answered said they found the session useful (this question was left unanswered by 5% of all consumer questionnaire respondents). Figure 7 shows what consumers said they found useful about the session. Information about how to find the best deal was considered useful by the highest number of people (72%) and information about how to switch was the second most useful (59%). Figure 7: What did you find useful about the session? Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 13

14 Responses given under 'something else' included: Learning how others manage their heating Finding out that it is possible to switch to a better deal on a prepayment meter Information about switching supplier with a debt How much can be saved from turning off appliances Learning how to monitor energy use Finding out about collective oil buying schemes That private tenants can switch supplier Planned follow up actions Forty two percent of people said they would definitely do something as a result of the session, as illustrated in Figure 8. Figure 8: Will you do anything as a result of the session today? Consumers were asked what they planned to do as a result of the session. The responses are shown in Figure 9. Looking for a better deal was the most popular planned action (67% of respondents), whilst 50% or people planned to tell friends and family or do something to save energy. Comments given under 'Other' included getting further advice from CAB and look into draught proofing. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 14

15 Figure 9: Planned actions following the session Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 15

16 Consumers: follow up interviews From the set of consumers who had completed questionnaires with contact details, 150 were selected at random to take part in a follow up interview, an average of three months after attending a session. Seventy three percent (110) were from England, 17% (25) were from Scotland and 10% (15) were from Wales. Action taken since the session In the interview, consumers were asked whether following the session they did any of the following: Found out about prices from suppliers; Changed payment method; Looked for more information about energy efficiency or improving their heating system; Applied for a grant, free or discounted insulation, or the Warm Home Discount; Sought advice on benefits, tax credits, debt or money management (specifically prompted by the Energy Best Deal session); Asked to be placed on the Priority Services Register; Took any steps to save energy in their home (specifically prompted by the Energy Best Deal session). Each of these is discussed separately in the following sections. However, overall across all actions, a total of 85 people (57%) had taken at least one of these actions. In addition, 82 people (55%) had told friends and family about something they had learnt in the session. Of those that had not taken any action as a result of the session, five people had taken energy saving measures but did not attribute them to the session. Some had been prevented from taking action by illness. Looking for a better energy tariff Fifty one people (34% of all interviewees) had looked for a better energy tariff since the session. Forty six (31%) people contacted their existing supplier, while 35 (23%) checked prices from different suppliers: these groups overlapped, with 30 (20%) people checking prices from both their existing supplier and others. Sixteen of the people who looked for a better tariff had switched supplier once in the past. Eighteen had switched more than once and the remaining 17 had never switched. Eight of these had never even changed to a different tariff with the same supplier. Figure 10 shows the number of interviewees who checked prices, the number who were offered a better deal, and whether they switched or intended to switch to the better deal. They are colour coded to show whether it was the current supplier, a new supplier, or both, that was Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 16

17 approached and which offered a better deal. The first column shows the numbers that checked prices: those that checked only their existing supplier's prices (blue), those that checked other suppliers' prices but did not contact their current supplier directly (red), and those that did both (green). The second column shows where the better deals came from: blue shows the number that were offered a better deal by their current supplier only, red shows those that were offered a better deal by a different supplier, and green shows the number that were offered a better deal by both. The next two columns show the deal that was actually taken up (or intended to take up soon), split into red for a deal from a new supplier and blue for a deal from an existing supplier. Figure 10: Looking for a better deal: results Figure 10 shows that 29 of the 51 people who checked prices found a better deal (57% of those who checked, 19% of all interviewees). Twenty six people had switched and two were about to switch. One had decided not to switch. Where interviewees checked prices from different suppliers, they were asked what sources of information they used. Twenty two people (63% of all people who checked prices from a different supplier) used a price comparison website, with one additional person using a price comparison phone service. Six people phoned other energy suppliers directly, while two people looked at an energy supplier's website. Three people were helped by an advisor from CAB or other advice service, and one person asked a friend to phone the supplier for him. How did interviewees satisfy themselves that the tariff offered really was a better deal? Of the 17 people who answered this question, 12 had used a price comparison website, four were informed Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 17

18 by the supplier and one respondent simply stated that the offered unit price was lower. For one person it was a better deal because the new supplier was going to remove the prepayment meter and replace with a credit meter. Eighteen out of 35 people (51%) who checked prices from other suppliers were offered a better deal, while 24 out of 46 (52%) who contacted their own supplier were offered a better deal, so there was little difference in terms of whether existing or new suppliers could offer a better deal. There was some overlap between these groups, with 13 consumers being offered a better deal with both their own and another energy supplier. Of those that were offered a better deal by both their current supplier and a different supplier, the different supplier offered the cheaper of the two deals in seven cases. However, only three of these seven decided to go with the different supplier, with the remainder preferring to move to the deal offered by their current supplier. In total, 29 people were offered a better deal. Twenty six of these had already switched at the time of the interview: 20 to a better tariff with their existing supplier, and six to a better deal with a different supplier. Two further people were planning to switch to a better deal with a different supplier soon, and one person had decided not to switch. The 28 interviewees who switched or intended to switch to the better deals they found were asked how much they expected to save. Eighteen people had an idea of how much they would save. The largest amount saved was 1,040 per year while the smallest was 48 per year. On average the expected saving was just over 200 per year. Of the 28 people who switched or intended to switch, seven had never switched supplier before, with three of these never even having switched to a different tariff with the same supplier. Twelve had switched supplier once in the past and nine had switched more than once. The process of switching supplier Of the 26 people who had already switched to a new deal at the time of interview, 14 found the process very easy, nine found it 'fairly easy', and the three other people did not answer the question. When asked what they found helpful about the process of switching, seven people had positive comments, including that they had help from the Council, it was easy switching to a different tariff with the same company, the comparison service was useful, the process was clear and that it did not take long. Factors which discouraged people Ninety nine interviewees did not look for a better tariff. They were asked what put them off, and the reasons they gave are shown in Figure 11. Some people gave more than one answer, and six people gave no answer here. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 18

19 Figure 11: Factors which put people off looking for a better deal The most common answer (24 people) was that the interviewee had not yet had time to look for a better deal. Two of these people specifically stated that they were caring for seriously ill family members and so did not have time to think about switching. Fifteen people had switched recently, with a further three stating that they were currently on a fixed deal. Nine people said that they felt that prices were unpredictable so they did not want to fix their price. This perhaps indicates that the sessions should emphasise more that consumers should avoid the standard variable rate, which is generally the most expensive of all of a supplier's tariffs, and that not all fixed tariffs have high exit penalties. Fourteen people mentioned something else as being a reason why they did not check prices. The most interesting of these reasons are ones that indicate a misunderstanding about something that should have been covered in the EBD group session. One person said they had been with their supplier for 50 years and did not want to change now. The EBD group session should have made it clear that loyalty does not pay in the energy market. (In addition, no supplier has actually been in existence for 50 years, due to privatisation, although this is perhaps not something the EBD group session needs to cover.) Another person said that she is living in rented accommodation and although she pays the energy bills directly she doesn't think she is allowed to change. This is not correct and should have been covered in the session. The remaining 12 of the 14 people who mentioned something else as being a reason why they had not checked prices gave the following responses (each given by one person): Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 19

20 Has debt with current supplier (which is too high to be able to switch) Worried about something going wrong Language barrier makes it difficult Plans to move house soon Is owed money by the current supplier Gets Warm Home Discount with the current supplier Partner is against switching Awaiting Energy Best Deal Extra appointment before taking action Doesn't like change Has issues with current prepayment arrangements (and needs to resolve these before switching) Has not thought about it Awaiting collective switch offer before deciding (this person did not identify herself as having checked prices, although signing up for a collective switch could be defined as checking prices) Trustworthiness of energy companies Interviewees were asked how trustworthy they perceived energy companies to be, in general. They were given the options: very trustworthy, fairly trustworthy, not trustworthy, and 'I think mine is ok, but not all of them are trustworthy'. The responses are shown in Figure 12. Slightly more than half of respondents believed that energy suppliers are either very or fairly trustworthy. Around a third (31%) believe they are untrustworthy and the remainder believe their supplier is trustworthy but that not all suppliers are. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 20

21 Figure 12: How do you rate the trustworthiness of suppliers? Payment method Nine people (6%) had changed the way they paid for their energy since the session. The majority changed from paying when the bill arrives to direct debit. Two consumers had switched from a pre payment meter to another payment method, one to direct debit and another to monthly bills. Those who had not changed payment method were asked why they had not done so. The reasons are shown in Figure 13. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 21

22 Figure 13: Reasons for not changing payment method The majority (71%) said they are happy with their current payment method, while 14% stated that they liked their pre payment meter (four people were included within both of these categories). Reasons given by only one person each were: Not having access to the internet to find out more information That they are moving house soon Not wanting a sudden change That they are a lodger with no control of payment method Energy efficiency actions Interviewees were asked if they had looked for any more information on improving their home energy efficiency or heating system since the session, and whether they had done so as a direct result of the session. Twenty eight people had done so (17%), with a further three saying they had looked for information but not as a result of the Energy Best Deal session. Figure 14 shows the sources of information that were used (only covering those who had looked for information as a result of the session). Some people gave more than one answer. The internet was by far the most popular source of information, with ten people naming it as a source. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 22

23 Figure 14: Sources used to find further information on energy efficiency and heating improvements Interviewees were asked if they had taken any steps to save energy in their homes since the session, and whether this was prompted by the Energy Best Deal session. Thirty nine people (26%) said that they had done something as a result of the session, with a further ten saying they had done something, but not as a direct result of the Energy Best Deal session. Figure 15 shows the Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 23

24 actions of those who said they did something as a direct result of the session. Figure 15: Energy efficiency actions taken 4 Identifying consumers qualifying for ECO Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation Consumers were asked two basic questions about benefits and income, which were designed to identify most people who would be eligible for ECO HHCRO funding for heating measures for their homes. Does anyone in your household receive either Pension Credit or Child Tax Credit? If the latter, is your household income under 15,860? There are other qualifying criteria for HHCRO, and so people who answer no to these questions could still be eligible if they claim certain other benefits; however, there was a need to strike a balance between getting useful information and asking so many questions that interviewees would be reluctant to answer, which is a risk when asking what benefits are claimed. 4 Under the Home Heating Cost Reduction Obligation, "suppliers must deliver measures which result in cost savings and which improve the ability of a householder to affordably heat their home. HHCRO (also known as ECO Affordable Warmth) focuses on low income and vulnerable householders, living in private housing (generally), where residents are in receipt of specific benefits and meet other related conditions (the affordable warmth group or AWG )." (p.55, ECO Guidance for Suppliers, Ofgem, 13 March 2013). See ( bligation%20(eco)%20guidance%20for%20suppliers%20 %2015%20March.pdf ) Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 24

25 Thirteen interviewees (9%) receive Pension Credit, while 31 (21%) receive Child Tax Credit and have a household income under 15,860, making a total of 44 interviewees (29%) who meet the 5 above criteria. However, for HHCRO, people living in social housing are not eligible. Applying this further criteria leaves nine Pension Credit recipients (6% of all interviewees) eligible and 18 Child Tax Credit recipients under the income threshold eligible (12% of all interviewees), making a total of 21% of interviewees likely to qualify for HHCRO. Further actions Interviewees were asked about a set of other actions, relating to seeking advice or applying for heating grants, that they had taken since the session. The actions covered and the number of interviewees taking each action are shown in Figure 16 below. Thirty one people (21%) had taken at least one of these actions, with six taking two or more actions. The most common action was applying for the Warm Home Discount (14 people), followed by seeking advice on benefits and tax credits and applying for free or discounted insulation. Figure 16: Further actions taken by interviewees 5 However, the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation, which is another part of the ECO, is targeted at specific deprived areas, and in these areas social housing tenants will be eligible. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 25

26 Information passed on to friends and family Eighty two people (55% of consumer interviewees) had passed on something that they had learnt at the Energy Best Deal session to friends and family. The median number of people told was four (in an average space of three months between the Energy Best Deal session and the interview). Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 26

27 Frontline workers: questionnaire responses Profile In total, 4,919 frontline workers attended Energy Best Deal sessions. Questionnaires were 6 received from 3,373 frontline workers, equal to 69% of all attendees. Figure 17 shows how this breaks down between countries. Figure 17: Frontline worker questionnaire respondents by country Figure 18 shows the organisations represented by the frontline workers. The largest group was advisors from Citizens Advice Bureaux, with the second largest being local authority or other public sector organisations. 6 Not all respondents answered all questions on the questionnaire forms. Throughout this report, the results are shown as percentages of those that answered the specific question. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 27

28 Figure 18: Frontline worker organisation types Frontline workers were also asked if their organisation specialises in supporting specific groups or advising on specific topics. These are shown in Figure 19, as a percentage of the total number of frontline workers who attended sessions (many people chose more than one option and so the total sums to more than 100%). The topics that frontline workers' organisations most commonly specialise in are housing (55% of frontline workers) and debt and money management (49%). Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 28

29 Figure 19: Frontline worker organisation: specialisms Previous advice giving Frontline workers were asked about topics they had previously given advice on. Figure 20 shows the topics which frontline workers had given advice on prior to the session, as a proportion of the 2,600 frontline workers who identified giving advice as part of their job. The response on NEST / Home Energy Efficiency Programmes is shown as a percentage of frontline workers from Wales and Scotland, as this responses is only relevant to those people. Seventy three percent had given advice on 'benefits and tax credits' and 66% on 'debt and money management'. The least commonly advised on topics were ECO and the Green Deal. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 29

30 Figure 20: Previous advice giving The impact of the session Eighty four percent of frontline workers said that the session had changed their opinion on the importance of fuel poverty to their clients. Frontline workers were asked to estimate the proportion of their clients who were in fuel poverty or at risk of fuel poverty. The results are shown in Figure 21. Thirty percent of frontline workers estimated that 40 60% of their clients were fuel poor, and another 30% thought that 60 80% of their clients were fuel poor, while 17% estimated this figure to be between 80% and 100%. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 30

31 Figure 21: Estimated number of clients in fuel poverty Frontline workers were asked if they felt better informed as a result of the session. Ninety eight percent said they did; 55% to a great extent and 43% to some extent. This is illustrated in Figure 22. In addition, 78% of frontline workers said they intended to look for a better deal on their own energy as a result of the session. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 31

32 Figure 22: Do you feel better informed as a result of the session? Frontline workers were asked if they now felt more or less confident in advising clients about the topics covered in the presentation. The answers are illustrated in Figure 23. The columns showing NEST and HEEPI programmes show the responses as a percentage of those located in Scotland and Wales, as this question is not relevant to those working in England. In total, 94% of frontline workers felt more confident in one or more topics following the session, while 5% felt less confident on one or more topics. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 32

33 Figure 23: Increases and decreases in confidence after the session For most topics, a large proportion of frontline workers felt more confident following the session. This was highest for 'Finding the best deal on energy costs' (93%) 'Different ways of paying for energy' (85%) and the Warm Home Discount (80%). For each topic, a very small number of frontline workers felt less confident following the session. Those that said they felt less confident on any topics were asked why. In some cases this was because the topic was not discussed in the session, but the most common response was that the frontline worker was new to a specific topic that they felt was quite large and they needed to learn more about it before they felt more confident. This response was most common for benefits, ECO, and the Green Deal. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 33

34 Passing on information Frontline workers were asked to estimate the number of clients to whom they would pass on information learnt at the session. The distribution is shown in Figure 24. The answers ranged from 0 to 10,000 (with the higher numbers likely to be reached through newsletters, for example to housing association tenants), with a median of 20. The question was left unanswered by 29% of all those frontline workers who returned a questionnaire. Figure 24: Number of clients information will be passed on to Frontline workers were then asked if they thought they would pass on information from the session to colleagues, and if so, approximately how many they would pass information on to. Ninety four percent said they would pass on information (64% definitely and 30% probably). The distribution of number of colleagues the information would be passed on to is shown in Figure 25. The answers ranged from 0 to The answer given here reflects the number of colleagues each frontline worker would usually work with, with the majority belonging to small organisations or working with a few people within a larger organisation. The larger estimates are cases where frontline workers can communicate information to many people via a newsletter or other media. The median number of colleagues was five. The quality of dissemination is likely to be uneven across the estimated numbers of clients and colleagues: for example information communicated in a newsletter may not be read by the Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 34

35 recipient, or if it is read, the reader cannot ask clarifying questions as they would be able to do in the case of face to face dissemination. Figure 25: Estimated number of colleagues information will be passed on to Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 35

36 Frontline workers: follow up interviews A total of 151 frontline workers were contacted an average of three months after the session for a follow up interview. Their distribution between the three countries is shown in Figure 26. Figure 26: Frontline worker interviews country The organisation type of the frontline worker interviewees is shown in Figure 27. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 36

37 Figure 27: Frontline worker interviews organisation type The specialisms of the frontline workers' organisations are shown in Figure 28. These are almost the same as those for the wider group of frontline workers represented in the questionnaire results. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 37

38 Figure 28: Frontline worker interviews organisation specialisms Advice giving on Energy Best Deal topics Frontline worker interviewees were asked to rate each of the five main Energy Best Deal topics in terms of their own level of knowledge before and after the presentation, using a scale of one to five where one is no knowledge and five is highly knowledgeable. Figure 29 shows the average score for levels of knowledge before and after the presentation. Those categories only relevant to Scotland or Wales are given as a proportion of only the interviewees from those countries. The largest increase in average score was in the topic 'Nest or Arbed programmes, followed by 'Green Deal' and Warm Home Discount. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 38

39 Figure 29: Levels of knowledge in topics covered in the session: average scores before and after Interviewees were asked to rate the main Energy Best Deal topics in terms of importance to their job role, with one being 'not important' and five being 'highly important'. The responses are shown in Figure 30. For each topic, 'highly important' was the most chosen option. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 39

40 Figure 30: Importance of session topics in terms of interviewees' job roles To get more detail on the previous question, interviewees were also asked whether any part of the presentation was particularly useful in helping them do their job. The responses are shown in Figure 31. Forty two percent said all of the presentation was useful, with the next biggest category being 'finding a better deal on energy supply' at 25%, 'debt and money management' and 'switching supplier with a debt' equal at 13%, and 'the Warm Home Discount' at 12%. Sixty seven people (44%) also mentioned something else they found useful (this is not included in Figure 31 for reasons of scale). Aspects of the presentation that interviewees mentioned here included: Useful materials provided Useful websites to signpost people to A reminder of what's available Information about bailiffs and legal rights Information about the local affordable warmth network Information about the standing charge Finding out that it is still to switch with a prepayment meter Information about income maximisation Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 40

41 Figure 31: Did you find any part of the presentation particularly useful in helping you do your job? Interviewees were given a set of statements about the effect of the presentation on the advice they were able to give to clients. They were asked to say whether the statements were applicable to them 'to a great extent', 'to some extent', or not at all. These are shown in Figure 32. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 41

42 Figure 32: Effect of session in terms of advice giving The majority of interviewees found that the session helped them to a great extent in terms of allowing them to provide more accurate or detailed advice, expanding the range of help and advice that they were able to give to clients, and giving them more confidence in dealing with energy related topics. Five percent (8 people) found that the session did not increase their knowledge of topics that they were already advising on; however, half of these people found that the session did give them knowledge of new topics. Thirteen percent of interviewees (19 people) found that the session did not give them knowledge of new topics that they were not previously advising on; however, 15 of these people found that the session did increase their knowledge of topics they were previously advising on. Interviewees were asked which topics they had given advice on since the presentation. The answers are shown in Figure 33. For the question about NEST and Arbed, and the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes Initiative, the result is shown only as a percentage of those frontline workers located in Scotland or Wales, as the question is not relevant to those working in England. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 42

43 Figure 33: Topics advised on since the presentation Seventy eight percent of interviewees had given advice on benefits and tax credits, while 77 percent had given advice on debt and money management. Eighty three percent had given advice on at least one Energy Best Deal topic since the session, and 58% of these said they would not have been able to provide as much information if they had not attended the session. Interviewees were asked to estimate how many clients they had provided information to since the session. The total number across interviewees was 1,727. Twenty eight people had not passed information on to anyone. The median number of clients that information was passed on to was seven people per frontline worker. The distribution is shown in Figure 34. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 43

44 Figure 34: Number of clients information has been passed on to since the session One hundred and ten frontline workers had passed information from the presentation on to clients on a one to one basis, either in person or over the phone. Information had been passed on to 1,405 clients in this way since the session. This represented between 1% and 100% of clients seen in that time. A further 228 clients had received information from the sessions in a group setting. Two frontline workers had put information in a newsletter, with both newsletters each circulated to around 1,000 people. One frontline worker who works in a library had been able to provide information to people who came in to the library to find information about tariffs. Sixty four percent of the interviewees said that they would not have provided the information to as many clients without attending the session, while 24% said they would have provided the information to the same number of clients even if they had not attended the session, and 5% were not sure. However, ten (28%) of those who said they would have provided the information to the same number of clients said that the session either gave them more confidence, made it easier for them to find the information, or allowed them to provide information in more detail than if they had not attended the presentation. Ninety three percent of interviewees said that they would use information from the presentation to help clients in the future. Twelve people had said on their questionnaire responses that they felt less confident on one or more topics following the session. Two of these said in the interview that they could not remember the reason. Four of the interviewees suggested that they struggled with the volume of Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 44

45 information or felt that there was not enough detail for their needs: two of these suggested that some material (benefits and Green Deal) would be better in a separate session. Others said that the issues for being less confident related to the specific needs of their clients being complex. Frontline workers were asked what the most common energy related issue was that their clients seek help with. By far the most common answers were affordability of energy and dealing with energy debt. Interviewees were also asked if there were any energy related issues that their clients seek help with which were not covered in the presentation. Most said that all issues were dealt with, while 24 people thought of specific issues. Some of these were things which should have been covered in the presentation but were not covered in enough detail for that individual frontline worker's needs: Negotiating a change of meter with supplier More detail on dealing with debt More information on how to use different heating systems Issues relating to private tenants Other things which frontline workers identified as energy related issues which were not covered in the presentation were much more specific: More information about solar power, such as tariffs and 'rent a roof' schemes Information about water bills/rates Wood burning stoves Cost of contacting suppliers by phone Passing information on to colleagues One hundred and three frontline workers (68%) said that they had passed some information from the Energy Best Deal session on to their colleagues. Seven more people (6%) said that all of their colleagues had been at the presentation or had attended previous Energy Best Deal sessions, so they had no opportunity to pass on information. The mean number of colleagues the information was passed on to was six, and the median was four (if those who did not pass on information are included). If those who did not pass on information are excluded the mean rises to seven and the median to five. In addition, 77% of frontline workers had passed on information from the Energy Best Deal session to friends and family. Frontline workers' own energy use Since the session, 50% of frontline workers had looked for a better deal on their own energy supply. Of these, 32 people (21% of all frontline workers interviewed) had switched either tariff or Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 45

46 supplier, or were in the process of doing so. This figure was not very different to the figure for consumers (28 consumers, 19% of all those interviewed, had switched or were about to). Frontline workers were asked if the presentation had prompted them to save energy in their home. Ninety nine people (75%) said that it had. These people were mainly taking small actions to reduce electricity consumption from appliances and to reduce heating use, such as draught proofing, buying energy saving bulbs, insulating the hot water tank, and not over filling the kettle. In terms of larger scale actions, two people had insulated their loft and four were looking into solar PV. The majority of people who said they had not taken action said they were already saving energy at home before the session. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 46

47 Quality of the presentation and materials Immediately following the session, participants were asked to rate the presentation skills of the trainer, the quality of the materials used during the session (which consisted of a PowerPoint presentation and any handouts provided by the individual presenters), and the quality of the material provided to take away. The material provided to take away was a booklet produced by Citizens Advice and Ofgem, with useful information such as how to deal with problems with suppliers, details of grant schemes, and telephone and website details of further sources of information. Individual trainers also often added their own additional materials. The responses to these three questions are shown in Figure 35 to Figure 37. Consumers and frontline workers both gave very similar answers. In terms of the presentation skills of the trainer (Figure 35), the majority found these to be excellent, with most of the remainder rating them as good. Comments included: "Fabulous! Really held my concentration. Brilliant delivery", Trainer is clearly passionate about EBD. Very clear and competent. Managed group of people well Very engaged, knowledgeable and helpful Trainer is clearly passionate about EBD. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 47

48 Figure 35: Ratings of the presentation skills of the trainer The majority of attendees rated the materials used during the session (Figure 36) as good, with most others rating them as excellent. Six percent of consumers and five percent of frontline workers rated them as acceptable. One consumer attendee who was from China suggested more use of pictures to help explain terminology that non native speakers of English might struggle with. Figure 36: Ratings of the quality of the materials used during the session The majority of consumer attendees rated the material provided to take away (Figure 37) as 'good', with most others rating it as 'excellent'. The majority of frontline workers rated the material as 'excellent' with almost all others rating them as 'good'. Five percent of consumers and four percent of frontline workers rated it as 'acceptable'. The wide range of ability and confidence among consumers was evident, with some saying it was useful and others saying they would need more help to take the actions discussed at the presentation (which is why Energy Best Deal Extra has been developed; see p.). Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 48

49 Figure 37: Ratings of the material provided to take away. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 49

50 2013/2014 participant interviews consumers In order to look at the ongoing impact of the Energy Best Deal session, twenty five consumers who had attended Energy Best Deal sessions in 2013/2014 were contacted by telephone for an interview. They were randomly selected from the consumers who were interviewed for the 2013/2014 Energy Best Deal evaluation. The second interview took place an average of fourteen months after the first interview and an average of eighteen months after the session. Looking for a better deal Of this group of 25 consumers, when they were first interviewed a year and two months ago: Seven had looked into getting a better deal. Of these: o Four had switched tariff or supplier (group A) o Three had looked into getting a better deal but did not end up switching (group B) Eighteen had not looked into getting a better deal (group C) Group A A year and two months later, all consumers who had switched at the time of the first interview are all still happy with that decision and have saved money. Two consumers knew how much they had saved; they had annual savings of 312, and 350. None of these four consumers had switched again, or checked to see if there is now a better tariff. All of the consumers planned to check prices again in the future. Group B Of the three who had looked into getting a better deal but did not end up switching at the time of the first interview, two had since checked prices again. Both of these had done so because they remembered something from the Energy Best Deal session. Both of these people checked with a new supplier, while one of them also checked prices with their existing supplier. One ended up switching to a new tariff with their existing supplier, but the other did not find a better deal. Group C Of the 18 people who had not looked into getting a better deal at the time of the first interview, 12 had not done anything further since then to look for a better deal on their energy. Six people had done something; for five of them it was because they remembered something from the Energy Best Deal session, and one person heard something from another source that prompted them to take action. Two people had contacted their existing supplier and checked prices from other suppliers, two had contacted only their existing supplier and two contacted only other suppliers. Three of the four consumers who checked with other suppliers had used a price comparison website. Three consumers found a better deal. Of these, one switched to a different tariff with the same supplier and one switched to a new supplier, while the third plans to switch to Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 50

51 a new deal with a new supplier. All of these people found it 'fairly easy' to work out if they would save money by switching, and all of the people who switched to a new supplier found the process very easy. Payment method Last time we spoke to this group of 25 consumers, two had changed their payment method as a result of the Energy Best Deal session. A year and two months later, both were still happy with that decision and one estimated that he had saved 350. All but one of the remaining 23 people that had not changed their payment method between the session and the first interview had still not changed payment method. The one consumer who switched had gone from paying when the bill arrives to a pre payment meter. Fifteen of these believed they were already using the best payment method, while seven liked using a prepayment meter and did not want to change. Other actions At the time of the previous interview, eight of the 25 interviewees had taken other actions, such as applying for the Warm Home Discount, since the session. When we spoke to them a year and two months later, three had received the Warm Home Discount and one had had their loft insulation topped up. Further comments Other comments from these interviewees, more than a year after the session, included: One person said the session was brilliant and it helped a lot of her friends who have switched One said that it was very informative and that it made them think more about energy Another said that the session provided good sound and honest advice One person said that the session was an eye opener Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 51

52 2013/2014 participant interviews frontline workers Twenty five frontline workers who attended the Energy Best Deal sessions in 2013/14 were contacted by telephone, an average of 15 months after they attended a session. They were first asked what they remembered most clearly from the Energy Best Deal session. The answers given were: Learning about switching supplier and looking for a better deal (11 people) Information about the grants and schemes available to vulnerable clients (4 people) Finding out about resources available to them to help them support clients (2 people) General information about energy use in the home (1 person) In addition, four people could not remember much about the session and one person's main memory of the session was that the presenter had stepped in at the last minute and just read from a sheet. Interviewees were asked if there was anything in particular they learnt at the session that has been useful to them in their work since the session. Responses were: Information about finding a better deal on energy supply (5 people) Information about switching energy supplier with a debt (5 people) Everything (4 people) Information about energy efficiency (1 person) Information about changing payment method (1 person) Information about the Warm Home Discount (1 person) In addition, one interviewee could not remember enough about the session to give an answer here, while four people said that the session was not directly relevant to their job (although one of these subsequently said she had advised 20 people using information from the presentation, another said that it was useful for his previous job role but he has changed jobs since the presentation and it is now no longer useful, and a third person said they refer on to another organisation). One other person said that none of the material covered was useful as they already knew it. Twenty three interviewees said that the session had given them more confidence in dealing with topics that they would not have been able to advise on previously. Two people said it did not, both stating that they already felt confident. Seventeen people said the presentation enabled them to help clients with issues which they were not advising on previously, while eight said it did not. New issues the presentation helped them with included: Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 52

53 Switching and how to get the best deal (three people) Signposting clients, for example to energy efficiency programmes (three people) Knowing where to look for further information (one person) Twenty two people said they have continued to use information from the presentation (including three of the people who said the information was not directly relevant to their job). Two people said they had not, but in the case of one of these people it was due to moving into a new job role. Of those that are continuing to use information from the presentation, five people are using it more frequently than they did following the session, eight people are using it less frequently, and eleven people are using it with about the same frequency. One other person is still using it but she said that it was now not as fresh in her mind and so she found it harder to use than she did immediately following the session. Interviewees were asked to give the most common energy related issue that their clients had encountered since the session. Responses were: Struggling to pay bills (9 people) How to find the best deal on energy bills (6 people) Debt (5 people) Pre payment meters (3 people) Funding energy efficiency measures (1 person) Energy problems for private tenants (1 person) Accessing the Warm Home Discount (1 person) Interviewees were asked if their clients had sought help with any energy related issues which were not covered in the presentation. Three people identified topics: two said that there was a problem with clients not taking action despite the information presented, the other replied that disputed debts were not covered. Interviewees were asked to think about how they had used the information from the presentation since the session and in light of that think of any ways in which the presentation could be improved. Those who could think of improvements gave the following answers (one person said each of the following): Alternatives to the internet for finding information should be considered more, as many clients do not have access to the internet or do not have computer literacy skills More information about fuel debt and how to deal with it Information could be provided on a business card, so people could carry them around and refer to them in particular cases e.g. with info about WHD It was quite long, and hard to stay focused on everything, and so it could be better to focus on one thing in more detail Less focus on switching supplier for elderly groups, who often find this difficult Updated information should be sent as a refresher via Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 53

54 Include information about saving money on the water bill by installing a water meter Frontline workers were asked to estimate the number of clients that they had provided information on Energy Best Deal topics to since the session. This is illustrated in Figure 38. The median estimate was 20. The highest number was 700, which the interviewee said was mostly through giving presentations to large groups. Figure 38: Estimated number of clients information has been provided to since 2013/14 session No frontline workers said they had not passed on the information to anyone. However, four people were unable to give an estimate. Figure 40 shows the proportion of clients that frontline workers have passed information on to. The median proportion told was 50%, with four interviewees telling 100% of the clients they have dealt with. Eight of the frontline workers either did not answer the question or were unable to provide an estimate. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 54

55 Figure 39: Estimated proportion of clients that have been provided with information since 2013/2014 Twenty four of the interviewees said that they would continue to use information from the presentation in the future. When asked whether they thought they would benefit from a refresher session on the same topics, seven people said no, 12 said yes, and two said probably or possibly. Interviewees were also asked if they thought they would benefit from another session taking some of the Energy Best Deal topics into more detail. Twelve people said no, with five of these commenting that it was the right level of detail. Ten people said yes, and two said possibly. Topics that people specified were: fuel debt and how to deal with it, handling complaints to energy suppliers, the Green Deal, supporting vulnerable clients and more information about tariffs. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 55

56 Case studies This section provides some brief case studies drawn from the interviews with frontline workers and consumers. Help with a large energy bill Frontline worker A had a client who came in with a very large energy bill. It took some time to figure out why this was. It emerged that her supplier had moved her to a different, higher tariff but that the client was unaware that this had happened. The frontline worker contacted the supplier and negotiated a reduction in the outstanding balance. She also helped the client to switch to a better tariff and get a payment plan set up to pay off the outstanding amount. Dealing with a previous tenant's debts Frontline worker B had a client who was feeling threatened by her energy supplier. The client had moved into a new property, where the previous tenant had run up a debt to the supplier. The supplier wanted to install a prepayment meter in the property to recover the debt. The frontline worker contacted the supplier to explain the situation and made sure that the debt was not attributed to the client. Debt advice led to insulation schemes Frontline worker C had a client who sought advice about a debt. The frontline worker used what she had learnt in the Energy Best Deal session to help maximise the client's income. She also found out that the client did not have loft insulation and signposted her to insulation schemes. Helping relatives Mrs E used information from the session to help her father in law to switch energy providers, which has helped him to save money. Saving energy Mr F has started saving energy already from the measures suggested in the session. He has switched to energy saving light bulbs and changed the timing of the heating. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 56

57 Energy Best Deal Extra Energy Best Deal Extra (EBDx) provides one to one advice appointments to consumers, delivered by advisors in Citizens Advice Bureaux. In , 5,050 Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointments were delivered by 93 bureaux in England and Wales, and 997 advice appointments were delivered by 19 bureaux in Scotland. Energy Best Deal Extra appointments are an energy focused advice appointment offered to attendees of Energy Best Deal sessions, as well as via other channels such as referral by a case worker or attendance at a Financial Capability session. Unlike the Energy Best Deal group sessions, which take place in a variety of locations and are delivered by a range of organisations, the Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointments are only provided by Citizens Advice Bureaux. For this evaluation, seventy telephone interviews were held in April and May 2015 to find out about participant experiences of EBDx appointments. Of the 70 interview participants, 68 were consumers and two were frontline workers. Frontline workers were not a target group of Energy Best Deal Extra this year, but they were allowed to attend an appointment if requested. Consumers offered Energy Best Deal Extra appointments normally had a range of issues which they required advice on, and so tended to include a mixture of energy related and non energy related advice. As the Energy Best Deal Extra advice appointments could cover a very wide mixture of topics and outcomes, the evaluation interviews were semi structured, allowing participants to describe their expectations and experience. How participants found out about the Energy Best Deal Extra sessions Participants were asked how they found out about the Energy Best Deal Extra one to one advice appointments. The responses fall into four categories, which are shown in Figure 40 (four participants mentioned two different categories, and one did not remember how they found out, so the total sums to 73). Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 57

58 Figure 40. How participants found out about EBDx appointments The participants who sought advice directly from Citizens Advice were recommended by a Citizens Advice employee during a visit to the Bureau (11 people), recommended by a Citizens Advice employee over the phone (two people), through the Citizens Advice website (two people), or saw an advert for one to one advice appointments in the local Bureau (one person). Some did not specify, simply saying through Citizens Advice. Where people were referred/recommended by another service to EBDx, the referral services were: the local Council (five people), a medical practitioner (two people), a Citizens Advice advert on a bill (two people), their housing association (two people), their energy supplier (one person), an advert in another service (one person) and one participant was referred but was unsure who referred him. Five out of 70 interview participants found out about the EBDx appointments during the EBD group sessions. Fifty five participants had not attended an EBDG session at all. This could highlight a missed opportunity in promoting the EBD group sessions, in addition to EBDx appointments during the group sessions. The rest of this section presents findings in the following order: participants' expectations; what happened in the appointment: energy advice, non energy related advice; and outcomes of the appointments; and overall, whether the participants found the appointment useful. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 58

59 What the participants expected to get out of the one to one appointments This first section deals with what expectations participants had before attending the appointment, 7 in terms of the topics they wanted help or advice on. The responses given by participants have been categorised under different headings, shown in Figure 41 below. Some participants sought advice on more than one issue within the EBDx appointment, and these people are counted within more than one category in the chart. Figure 41. Participants' expectations of the appointments Twenty five people wanted advice on benefits. These can be further broken down into general benefits advice (seven people), Personal Independence Payment (four people), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) (three people), ESA appeal (three people), housing support (three people), maternity payments (1 person), UK pensions and disability support (1 person), Income Support (1 person), carers benefit (1 person), Child Tax Credit (1 person) and council tax (1 person). Twenty two participants went into the appointment specifically wanting energy related advice (some of these also hoped to get non energy related advice). These people wanted help with: high bills (12 people), energy tariff checks (six people), high bills which accumulated for a property that was empty while the normal occupant was in hospital (3 people), and energy efficiency measures advice (one person). 7 Many were also provided with further information, advice or help in additional to what they expected to receive, but these are covered in subsequent sections. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 59

60 The fourteen participants who sought debt related advice wanted help with: general debt advice (eight people), debt on energy bills (four people), parking ticket debt (one person) and credit card debt (one person). The eight participants who sought financial advice were looking for: general financial advice (five people), and advice on managing money after losing a partner (three people). The five participants who sought tax advice were categorised under council tax (three people), bedroom tax (one person) and income tax (one person). One person sought information on workplace pensions, and one person was not willing to share further details beyond general advice. What happened during the appointments: energy related advice This section looks specifically at the energy related advice that participants received. Most participants received a mixture of energy related and non energy related advice, but for the purposes of getting a clear idea of what participants were getting out of the appointments, it is useful to look at these separately. It should be noted that many interviewees were highly focused on one most pressing issue and were much more keen to speak about this than the energy part of the session. Twenty five people spoke about the energy related part of the session. Figure 42 shows the information and advice these people received. Twenty two people identified energy advice as being their primary reason for attending the session, while three other people identified a different primary reason for attending. All of these 25 people did one or more of three things: discussed fuel bills with the advisor, had a Warm Home Discount eligibility check, and / or discussed energy use in the home with the advisor. For the first two of these categories, actions are broken down into more detail. For those participants who discussed fuel bills with the advisor, one or more of the following things happened: the advisor signposted to sources of further advice about switching, the advisor used an online took to check tariffs, and / or the advisor contacted the current supplier. Outcomes are shown on the right hand side of the figure. Where the advisor had used an online switching service or the advisor had contacted the supplier, in five cases this lead to the participant switching supplier or tariff during the appointment. In seven cases where the advisor had contacted suppliers, affordable debt repayments were organised during the appointment. In the case of the Warm Home Discount, the three people who were found to be eligible in the eligibility check were given help to apply for the Warm Home Discount, and all three of these people received the Warm Home Discount subsequent to the appointment. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 60

61 Figure 42. What happened during the appointments: energy related advice Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 61

62 Those who discussed energy use and energy saving in the home received advice relating to energy saving behaviour such as turning off lights, using the heating efficiently and preventing energy waste, as well as energy efficiency measures including grants available for external wall insulation and boiler replacements. What happened during the appointments: non energy related advice While energy would have been covered in all appointments, many interviewees focused on the non energy related advice and help they received. This section covers non energy related actions that took place during the appointments. They have been divided into categories, shown in Figure 43. Many participants are included in more than one category. Figure 43. What happened during the appointment: non energy related advice Twenty one participants said that the adviser contacted non energy organisations during the appointment to help resolve their query. Fourteen of these were phone calls relating to benefits or pensions, and seven were contacts with creditor organisations to organise manageable payments. Eleven participants received assistance in filling out a form; the forms highlighted were an application for Employment Support Allowance (four people), Personal Independence Payment (four people), general benefits (two people) and no further detail was provided for one participant. Eight participants said they went through bills and debts with the adviser, which could have included energy bills, however this was not explicitly stated. Seven participants were directed to more specialist advice services. Five participants went through spending and budgeting. Five were offered a follow up appointment where spending and budgeting would be covered, which usually includes going through energy bills. Two participants received help writing an appeal. Two received a benefits entitlement check. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 62

63 What was the outcome of the appointment? Previous sections have covered what happened in the appointment, and some outcomes have already been mentioned. This section details all of the outcomes that were achieved as a result of what happened in the appointment. Both energy related and non energy related topics are considered together here. It should be noted that these are the outcomes that interviewees identified themselves. For example, 25 people spoke about energy advice, but all participants would have received some kind of advice related to their energy bills. The outcomes have been categorised into themes, shown in Figure 44 below. Some participants gained more than one outcome. Figure 44. Outcomes identified by interviewees Thirty three participants reported saving money, both from energy savings and other sources. They can be broken down into the following categories (some participants saved money on more than one thing): More affordable debt repayments (11 people, seven of whom had specific energy debts, three of which also had non energy debts, the rest only had non energy debts) Debt written off (one person) Reduction in energy bills through costs of tariffs (five people) Received the Warm Home Discount (three people) Reduction in energy bills due to energy saving behaviour (three people) Received money from an Energy trust fund (one person) Received a reduction in water bills (three people) Received grants to buy white goods ( two people) Received reductions on Council Tax (two people) State pension increase (one person) Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 63

64 Improved savings planning (one person) Road tax reduction (one person) Cheaper TV licence (one person) Food parcel voucher (two people) Shopping donation (one person) In terms of debt repayments, savings of: 100 and 90 per month, 10 per week, and a lot were made. Other participants spoke about debt reductions achieved in terms of the amounts they now needed to pay: 5 and 6 per week, and 50 over eight months, while others said that they had reduced their debt but did not specify the amount. One participant owed money to HMRC and stated that the adviser was able to negotiate the debt being "written off". (This is probably an incorrect turn of phrase from the interviewee and most likely means that the advisor was able to get the tax code corrected). For those who reported savings on their energy bills through tariff costs, three switched energy providers and two switched tariffs with the same provider. Further participants were aware they may save money but were yet to go through the switching process. Three participants received the Warm Home Discount. In addition, three participants highlighted savings on their energy bills as a result of energy saving behaviour interventions they made following the advice received during the EBDx appointments. An application was made to an energy supplier fund on behalf of one participant, to pay for rent arrears. He was waiting to hear whether he would be granted funds at the time of interview. In terms of water bills, three participants received help installing a water meter and two noticed this halved their water bills, with one participant saving per month. Two participants received grants for white goods. One of these grants was for 600 and the other was not specified. One participant saved 30 per week on council tax and one reduced their council tax repayments to 25 per month. Two participants received income tax refunds: one person received 100 and another 300, which is likely to result from the correcting of incorrect tax codes. One participant received an increase to their State Pension, one received the Employment Support Allowance benefit, one received a cheaper TV licence fee and one received a 50% reduction on road tax. Food parcel vouchers were highlighted by two participants and a shopping voucher by one participant. One participant learnt that if they left work to care for their partner full time they would receive 15 a week less, and was relieved to learn this as it enabled this person to take peace of mind in being able to make the decision to become a full time carer. Nineteen participants reported a stress reduction or peace of mind following the one to one advice appointment. Of those, three reported an increase in confidence when dealing with the issues. Seventeen participants felt they gained an increased knowledge of managing money in general. Examples include better management of bill payments, improved budgeting skills, awareness of available assistance and knowledge of the process of paying bills for two participants who faced that for the first time after losing partners. Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 64

65 Eight participants of the eleven who received assistance filling out a form highlighted this as a key outcome as they felt otherwise unable to complete it adequately. Seven people gained legal advice, and six had at the time of the interview received the benefits they applied for during the session. These were: Personal Independence Payment (two people), Income Support (one person), Child Tax Credits (two people), Employment Support Allowance (one person), Disability Living Allowance (one person), and Discretionary Housing Payment (one person). Two people received more than one benefit. Did participants find the appointment useful? Participants were asked whether they found the appointment useful. Yes and no responses are shown in Figure 45 below. Participants were then asked to give more detail. Figure 45: Did participants find the appointment useful? Of the 63 participants who said that the appointment was useful, their reasons were categorised as follows (some people gave more than one response): Advice was useful (45 people) Advisers were good (11 people) Positive progress has been made on the issue they sought advice on (five people) Received the necessary help filling in forms (five people) Saved money (three people) Felt better after the appointment (two people) The issue they sought advice on is now resolved (one person) Seven participants within this 63 said although the appointment was useful they did not receive the expected outcome. Of those, four participants found out they were not eligible for support, Centre for Sustainable Energy Contents 65