Yesterday (Tuesday 31 October 2023), Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley saw the benefits of the energy regulator’s robust enforcement action when he visited our office, and joined us at a community event at the nearby Cherry Tree shopping centre in Wallasey (pictured).  

Thanks to us bidding successfully for a grant of £446,898 through the Energy Redress Scheme, our “Warm and Well” project is delivering energy advice to residents from Birkenhead to Bollington with household energy saving tips, understanding bills, how to contact suppliers and accessing grants and schemes for home energy improvements, all as part of our mission to reduce fuel poverty.  

Energy Projects Plus Chief Executive, Peter Owen, said: “The Energy Redress scheme provides vital support to our organisation. It enables us to give free advice and assistance to vulnerable residents across Cheshire and Merseyside, meaning they can keep warm and well in their home at a cost they can afford.”

Ofgem’s tough enforcement activity means that when an energy company breaches its service level requirements, the company is issued with a penalty notice. If improvements are not subsequently made, this can result in a fine. These penalty monies are then channelled into the Energy Redress Fund, and Energy Saving Trust helps make sure this cash goes to the right places, people and projects.  

With a rise of 100,000 in the number of fuel poor households in England to 3.26 million in 2022, meaning that 13.9% of households across Cheshire and Merseyside are in fuel poverty, this support is now more vital than ever.

Energy Saving Trust took on the management of the Energy Redress scheme in 2018 and have already redistributed over £100 million from Ofgem fines to targeted projects, meaning that over 500,000 households have also been reached with energy advice. 

At the visit, Jonathan Brearley met customers and staff and heard how the service customers are getting from some energy suppliers is still not good enough.  

Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley said: “Although it is great to see the money from our enforcement action making a positive difference in the local area, I am disheartened to hear that some customers can still not get through to their supplier on the phone, despite the minimum standards we have put in place. It is clear that more still needs to be done.” 

Tom Pridgeon interviews Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brierley

While visiting our office, Jonathan was interviewed for BBC Radio Merseyside, by reporter Tom Pridgeon. You can listen to the interview via our YouTube channel, here: https://youtu.be/6E7aUE_FaXk

Energy Projects Plus has helped over 9,000 households across the Wirral over the last year alone, and is pioneering joined up approaches such as GP heat referrals, as well as a study with Liverpool University.