Category: Energy Know How

By The Energy Know How Team

The Energy Know How Team was approached in May just after our new project started by a colleague who was supporting a group of deaf people who meet weekly to socialise. A member of the group was quite distressed following the servicing of his boiler and didn’t know where to turn to get the issue resolved.

Sharon met with the client and a sign language interpreter, documentation was taken from the client and we agreed to meet him again the week after Sharon had viewed the documentation and prepared a list of questions that was needed to fully understand the situation and before a course of action could be decided.

The following week after meeting the client again the situation was clearer however, sorting the issue was not going to be easy – this is a summary of his situation.

He had requested an annual service as part of his British Gas homecare policy, he has this policy to ensure he and his son were kept safe and to ensure any issues with his heating are quickly sorted.

The engineer who visited his property confirmed the boiler was unsafe to use due to multiple issues with the wiring and the flue pipe which was venting under the clients’ car port and against the manufacturer’s recommendations. An ‘at risk’ notice was issued.

The boiler was only just over two years old and had been fitted as part of a grant scheme by a company in Liverpool, it had been given the ‘all clear’ at two previous boiler services…. An issue that needed to be addressed.

After many, many phone calls and emails to British Gas and a formal complaint they stated they were unable to rectify the situation as they did not install the boiler but accepted that the issues should have been identified at the earlier services and offered compensation of £250.00 for their failings which the client accepted.

It was much more difficult to convince the installers that they had a responsibility to put right the issues when the boiler had been in place for over two years…. Eventually and again after many phone calls, emails and suggestions that Sharon would contact the governing body for gas installers, they agreed to address the problems.

The first electrical visit addressed the issue of wiring protruding from the wall at the side of the boiler with no idea whether these were ‘live’ He left without sorting the second electrical issue.

Weeks later and again after much chasing and the company denying the car port was in situ before the boiler was installed, we were able to obtain photographic evidence that the car port was in fact in place before the boiler was updated. The company agreed to attend and install an extension to vent the flue outside of the car port.

This left one remaining issue (or so we thought). There was a length of wiring cutting diagonally across the corner of the room from the fuse box into the bottom of the boiler which was uncovered and unsupported in any way.  Had anything fallen on this wire from above then the wire could have been severely damaged, it didn’t look as though it should be like that. Sharon made further calls to the installers who stated the wiring was indeed up to standard however Sharon’s gut feeling was different so she suggested that she would contact NIC the governing body for electrical installations and seek their advice. Within 10 minutes the company confirmed that they would be sending an engineer to replace and re-route the wire which they did and they enclosed it in cable trunking after taking it around the wall.

Sharon arranged for British Gas to revisit the property and ‘sign off’ the repairs as satisfactory and remove the at-risk notice however, this did not go as planned.

The engineer that attended confirmed after much consultation with the manufacturers technical team that the flue that had been extended was still not in fact satisfactory due to the car port not being fully exposed on at least two side. A second ‘at risk’ notice was issued. Sharon met with the engineer at the property, and he explained in detail what the issue was and the work needed to be done to correct it.

Sharon returned to the installers and after much discussion and many emails they agreed to carry out the work needed. They changed the flue pipe to vent up through the top of the car port and Sharon attended the property in person to ensure that the work underway was to amend the flue in the way that had been suggested by the previous British Gas engineer.

A further inspection from British gas on 1^st October then confirmed that the installation was safe at last and the ‘at risk’ notice was removed.

The client who is unable to use a telephone due to being deaf could never have navigated this issue without in-depth and many many hours of support. We could not have left this issue unresolved despite the huge effort it has taken we have eventually reached a situation where the client is no longer at risk from a badly installed boiler and he has been compensated for the failings of British Gas to notice these errors sooner.

It is so difficult for people with communication problems to contact energy providers and resolve issues, they could do much more to make it easier.

By The Energy Know How Team

The client made contact with Lynn following a referral from a friend. The client confirmed that they have COPD and severe arthritis and is also a carer for their son who is receiving support for an illness. They live in a council property and only have electricity for energy, paying £40 per week. The client is worried about bills increasing with winter approaching and also feels confused around the benefits they receive in particular pension credit. We discussed a referral to Citizens Advice for a benefits calculation and the client was interested in and will give it consideration before a referral is made. We also discussed energy saving measures and the client confirmed that they have a booklet with energy saving tips some of which they now use. We also discussed Green Doctor services and some of the low level energy saving measures they provide which the client was interested in and consented to a referral to Green Doctors. 

The client confirmed that the information provided had been useful and she had got more information out of the call than she was expecting. The client is to contact me should she decide on a Citizens Advice referral which will be forwarded to our Money Matters team.

By the More Energy Know How team

We met the lady at Rawmarsh foodbank on 13^th February 2025.  The lady confirmed that she was receiving benefits and was struggling financially.  Her property is cold, and she has a single storey bathroom extension on her private rented property that is always cold. The window will not open, and the extractor fan is broken. We discussed Green Doctor services, and the lady was keen to receive help from them and consented to a referral. We also discussed energy saving tips which could help the family save energy and money.  We also discussed Rotherham Councils Energy Crisis support scheme up to £250 grant, subject to criteria.  The lady confirmed that she matched the criteria and would apply directly on-line. The team also mentioned Citizen’s advice that can help should the lady have any arrears on her energy of other accounts.  She received a Rotherfed winter warm bag which she was grateful for.  The lady appreciated the information and thanked Rotherfed for the service we offer.

By the More Energy Know How Team

We spoke to a lady at Rawmarsh foodbank.  The lady was not working at the moment as she was recovering from throat cancer treatment.  She was also struggling with her mental health as she had also lost her parents during her illness which has had an impact on her financially, however she was keeping on top of her bills and had no arrears on her energy account. The team mentioned priority services with her energy company and Yorkshire Water which the lady was already aware of. The lady lives in a council rented property and we asked if she was managing to stay warm. The lady confirmed that she does feel draughts and feels the cold easily. We discussed the Green Doctor service and mentioned low level draught proofing around windows and doors and also foils behind radiators on external walls. The lady confirmed that she would appreciate a visit from them and consented to passing her contact details on to them. We also discussed energy saving tips which the lady confirmed she is always mindful of saving energy where she can.  She was provided with a winter warm bag and she confirmed that this would be useful especially the hot water bottle and socks. We discussed Rotherham Council Crisis scheme which offers up to £250 non-repayable amount, subject to criteria which could help with her finances.  The lady was happy for us to assist her submitting her contact details to RMBC Crisis scheme for them to make contact with her direct. We gave the lady my contact details and wrote down a reminder that Green Doctors would be calling and RMBC crisis team.  The lady was grateful for our chat and the help and information provided.

By Lynn Clarkson, Madiya Shokat and Sharon Smith, The Energy Know How Team

Lynn met a client at Brampton Parish Hall dementia cafe group. The lady has been having problems with British gas. She sent her meter readings to British gas by telephone, however, has not had a bill sent for the past two months and is anxious that she will have a large bill to pay. The lady has spoken to British gas over the phone, however, has still not received a bill. We discussed the client downloading the British gas app to her mobile phone so she can monitor her bills. I confirmed that usually when you send meter reading on the app you usually get a notification that your bill is ready to pay the following day, and you can access the bill and pay online. The lady said that this would help her, and she is to ask her sister to assist her downloading the app on her phone. I gave the lady my contact details and asked her to contact me in a weeks’ time if she is still having problems and I will meet up with her to try and assist further.

By Madiya Shokat, Lynn Clarkson and Sharon Smith, Energy Know How Team

During one of our regular visits to Maltby foodbank I was approached by Mr M. He had an issue with his former energy supplier and wondered whether I could help. I said I would look at the bills and assess them – Mr M agreed to email them to me which he did a few days after. I assessed the multiple bills which were emailed to me from Mr M however I was unable to make sense of the May bill which included all the previous cancellations and re-billing – The September bill clearly re-charged for the standing charges which had previously been refunded.

I emailed Eon a formal complaint detailing my concerns and included a signed consent form from Mr M.

I quite quickly received a response from Eon acknowledging that the bills were confusing however it was their right to correct bills when they had been issued wrong and confirmed that the standing charges had previously been refunded in error and that Mr M should and was now being charged for them.

I suggested that he should not be penalised for an error by Eon staff and that as a gesture of goodwill they should uphold the previous decision to refund them, cancel the £70.00 owing and pay some element of compensation to Mr M.

A few emails were exchanged and Eon offered as a final settlement £130.00 in total payment out of which they would take the outstanding balance and pay Mr M the difference of @ £67.00

I let Mr M make the decision on whether to accept the offer or ask for a deadlock letter and ask the energy ombudsman to rule and he wanted to accept the offer to bring the situation to a quick ending however he did request that his account and personal information be deleted by Eon on conclusion of this matter.

The acceptance and request for deletion of details were conveyed to Eon and Mr M is just waiting for his letter of apology and cheque for the credit balance.

A good outcome that Mr M was happy with.

By Sharon Smith, Lynn Clarkson and Madiya Shokat, Energy Know How Team

Whilst completing paperwork following attendance at a lunch event, a client had asked a question to one of the staff regarding the gas connection at her property. The staff member was not able to answer the question and asked me to speak with client.

She lived with her elderly parents in their home, and which is owned by them. Her father was a miner before he retired. He still gets a fuel allowance which provides them with smokeless fuel on a regular basis free of charge as part of his retirement benefits. They have a fire and back boiler (parkray) which is heated by the smokeless coal and provides the heating and hot water for the property. They have an electric cooker and appliances.

As they were not using any gas the clients’ father requested the energy company to remove the gas supply at the property to prevent a daily standing charge for a service that they did not need and would not use. The service was disconnected at the property boundary many years ago.

The clients’ parents are now quite elderly, and she is thinking about how she would manage when they are no longer around. One of the issues that is worrying her is the gas connection as the fuel allowance would end.

I explained that all gas services are maintained by the gas grid network, and it would be relatively easy to reconnect the gas although it is unlikely to be instant and she may have to wait a little while for the process to be arranged. The process would be arranged by the supplier she chose to go with however there could be a charge for reconnection/testing of the supply. The process would involve digging up the area where it was disconnected to re-connect the pipe and after testing, reinstate the path/driveway that had been disturbed.

This information put her mind at rest, and she is aware that this can be sorted when the time arrives.

She is aware to contact an energy supplier (it does not have to be the one that supplies her electricity although it may be more straightforward if she does) for the process to be arranged.

I gave the client our contact details and explained that when she needs to arrange for her service to be re-connected Rotherfed may not have an energy project in place however, they would be able to signpost her to further support services should she need them.

She was very appreciative of the information and time taken to answer her concerns.

By Sharon Smith, Lynn Clarkson and Madiya Shokat, the Energy Know How Team

A Client got in touch with Madiya from the energy team. Madiya previously met the Ms J* at the Eastwood Village Primary School who wanted some energy advice and she chose to meet at Clifton Learning Partnership as it’s close by to where she lives. She recently moved here to the UK, and she is struggling to understand how her bills work. Ms J bought her bills with her and one of the letters that she was struggling to understand was the breakdown of her bill. Madiya explained to her how much is going towards her electric and how much is going towards her gas. Ms J didn’t realise it will be one bill for both gas and electric in total as a direct debit. Ms J also realised that so far, her gas has been higher than her electric and didn’t understand why. She was asked if she is using her gas more than electric and mentioned she is cooking every day and using her gas for that as well as using the gas to make tea. Ms J was advised to lower this and try to make her tea using the kettle and when making food, see if she can make food that can last a couple of days, to save her using her gas every day. Ms J was also advised of some energy saving tips around the household to help her save on her energy annually. She was offered a green doctor as well which Madiya filled out with them. So, she is aware of the minor draught proofing that will be set out in her property. Ms J was very pleased with the amount of help offered to her.

*name has been changed.

By the Energy Know How Team, Sharon Smith, Lynn Clarkson and Madiya Shokat

I first met client B at a community event close to her home which was organised by our colleagues on the Tenant Involvement Team where they offered refreshments and a chat for attendees. A few days later Miss B called me to ask for help with an energy issue.

Miss B is visually impaired (she is completely blind) and is on the Priority Services Register with her energy provider.

She was very upset and explained that her energy provider had attempted to take over £1300 form her bank account to pay her outstanding electricity bill from her previous address. She has been told that her bills were estimated (she was at the property @ 2 years), and she had accumulated this debt despite paying @ £ 170.00 per month by direct debit.

She does not think her meters were ever read and is unable to read them herself. She thinks her carers may have submitted meter readings using online webchats during the time she was there but as her carers often change, she cannot confirm this with them. She does not recall anyone ever visiting to read the meters as would be expected if someone cannot see the meters themself.

She did not have enough money in her account for this direct debit to be taken and had no prior notification (as she should have had) of the attempt to take payment. She has now cancelled her direct debit to prevent a further attempt to take an unaffordable amount.

She has recently paid a large gas bill for her former home (Feb/March) which was again because of estimated bills – she had to borrow the money to pay this as she was worried someone would come and knock on her door to get it.

She has now received a letter stating that if payment is not made soon, then the amount will be sent to a debt collection agency, and she is extremely worried about this and very anxious.

The letter was NOT in braille, and she has had to wait for someone she trusts to read it to her.

She does receive her bills in braille but has not read anything that has ever suggested she is behind with her payments or that her bills were estimated.

It does not appear that her direct debit payment was ever reviewed (as it should be at least annually) and to the best of her knowledge she was paying what was requested and when it was requested – this bill on moving home has come as a significant shock to her.

As she has not received anything to suggest she was falling behind with her payments and due to the failure to read her meters due to her visual impairment, I suggested it would be worth making a complaint to her energy company and I agreed to help with this due to the circumstances.

The clients written consent to act on her behalf was obtained and a formal complaint has been submitted on her behalf – we are awaiting contact from the energy company.