ScottishPower has given its support to National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day. The company works hard to help its most vulnerable customers, and works closely with a range of organisations and charities who work to combat fuel poverty.
This partnership approach has allowed ScottishPower to achieve its first target in relation to The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) energy efficiency programme 5 months ahead of the statutory deadline. ECO places legal obligations on the larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures to domestic properties. ScottishPower progressed early against these targets and up until end December 2014, the company had installed 133,000 ECO qualifying measures in homes across the UK – 60% of these measures were directly helping the most vulnerable customers.
ScottishPower also remains committed to ongoing financial support for the ScottishPower Energy People Trust, an independent charity that supports organisations working on the ground to help people whose lives are affected by fuel poverty. To date the ScottishPower Energy People Trust has awarded £12.6 million to 263 projects helping 1.3million households through community projects designed to reduce fuel poverty.
In addition, under the Warm Home Discount scheme, ScottishPower has provided financial support via a £140 credit to the electricity account of eligible customers. More than 133,000 pensioners identified as eligible via the data sharing exercise with DWP have received this credit. Beyond this, to date 43,000 customers who applied to the Broader Group have received their Warm Home Discount payment ahead of the winter period, and a further 45,000 customers will receive a payment by the end of March 2015.
Neil Clitheroe, CEO of ScottishPower Energy Retail and Generation, said: "We are supportive of Fuel Poverty Awareness Day and the good work being undertaken by National Energy Action. We have a long-standing relationship with National Energy Action which we value greatly as we continue to work hard in a number of areas to offer support to our most vulnerable customers. We are pleased that early action in delivery has ensured that vulnerable customers have benefited over the winters of both 2013 and 2014, with warmer more energy efficient homes.”
Maria Wardrobe, Director of External Affairs at NEA, said “The consequences of living in fuel poverty are truly horrifying and we welcome the continued efforts of ScottishPower to help support vulnerable customers and families who may be worrying about their energy bills. We know that improving the energy efficiency of the homes of the fuel poor is the only sustainable solution and the Government can’t afford to wait to take action to end our cold homes crisis.”
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