Providing urgent support

Connect for Help is a free service that has been helping people reduce their energy bills, stay warm and access local help available to them, all without costing them any money. Many of the vulnerable people we support are referred to us by our partners, which is how we helped an elderly man living in London stay warm for Christmas.

A 97-year-old man was looking for help after having problems with his boiler, which left him without heating for over six weeks. Given his age, this was having a huge effect on his health and wellbeing.

Following a referral from our partner British Gas, we contacted him straight away and booked in a telephone advice call with one of our expert energy advisors to find out more about his situation. We immediately referred him to the Emergency Central Heating Offer (ECHO) scheme for a free boiler replacement, which was installed in a matter of days. During the call, our advisor also discovered that he was still using a range of old kitchen appliances that were not classed as energy efficient. The advisor arranged for a brand-new, energy efficient washing machine and fridge freezer to be delivered through the Home Energy Appliance Replacement (HEART) scheme. We also arranged for some LED lightbulbs and radiator foils to be sent to him, which he installed himself. 

During the call Mr R was keen to understand the benefits of smart meters, so we provided advice on the potential benefits. He is now speaking to British Gas about getting them installed, as well as moving to a dual fuel account to benefit from the discounts available.