About Us
National Energy Action (NEA) is the national charity seeking to end fuel poverty.
We work across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with our sister charity Energy Action Scotland, to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, dry home. In partnership with central and local government, fuel utilities, housing providers, consumer groups and voluntary organisations, we undertake a range of activities to address the causes and treat the symptoms of fuel poverty. These include:
- Campaigning to ensure that the needs of fuel poor households are recognised and addressed
- Researching and analysing the causes and extent of fuel poverty and developing policies which will address the problem
- Developing and managing demonstration projects that show innovative ways of tackling fuel poverty
- Providing advice and guidance to installers on good practice in delivering energy efficiency services to low income households
- Developing national qualifications and managing their implementation to improve standards of practical work and quality of energy advice
Our work encompasses all aspects of fuel poverty, but in particular emphasises the importance of greater investment in domestic energy efficiency.
Our story
NEA began over 35 years ago when students at Durham University established a group of volunteers to install loft insulation in the homes of elderly local people. Their experiences led them to realise that there was a huge problem of people living in cold and unhealthy homes. Subsequently, working with Newcastle City Council, this project was replicated on a wider scale by putting together different funding streams to develop community insulation projects. On 18 May 1981, Neighbourhood Energy Action was formally launched as a development programme of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Since then NEA has grown into a national charity which employs almost 70 staff across sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our actions have brought real social change, enabling millions of vulnerable householders to access grants and assistance to help them heat their homes affordably; and ensuring that fuel poverty is now a key public policy concern.