By Sharon Smith, Community Energy Advisor
I met with a client at a drop-in session for one to one advice after having delivered a presentation around priority services register and the warm home discount.
The client was paying £60.00 per month for water which includes ongoing charges and arrears which the client is struggling with and is starting to impact on his ability to keep up with his other energy bills.
We discussed water meters and the client wanted to go ahead and trial one as well as register for priority services on his water – he is already registered for priority services on his gas and electricity.
We called Yorkshire Water and spoke to Jaya, who confirmed client is not on a meter and has annual charges £378.58 with a balance outstanding which currently stands at £988.33.
I explained that the client is struggling financially and was transferred to collections where we spoke to Carly. Carly agreed to reduce ongoing payments to £48.00 which the client pays every 4 weeks, saving him £156.00 per year. We also requested a water meter for the client and it was agreed for an engineer to visit and hopefully fit one in Mid October. It was estimated that this will reduce his bill to £216.00 per year saving a further £162.00 per year after installation. I also registered the client with the Priority Services Register for constant supply and meter readings.
During the conversation the client also mentioned he has other debts and would like a referral to Making Your Money Go Further and then onto Citizens Advice to discuss debt options.