A day in the life of an Energy Adviser
Our Energy Adviser Rebecca Maddock tells us more about her role and why it can be a vital way of supporting some of the most vulnerable energy consumers across the UK
I’ve been an Energy Adviser for the last four years. The role is skilled, fast-paced, and far-reaching. We navigate complex systems, advocate against powerful organisations, and support people at some of the most challenging moments of their lives. No two days are ever the same.
National Energy Action supports clients from different areas of the country and all walks of life. Most of the advice we provide is over the phone, which means we have to build trust and rapport from the very first moment. This isn’t always easy; some clients are dealing with long-term supplier issues, debt or poor communication. Lots assume we work for their energy company. Many face language or hearing impairments. We remove as many obstacles as possible, and we use translators for language support.
Our website has Recite Me, which allows users to translate the words into over 160 languages, have over 100 languages spoken aloud. Users can also change colours, contrast or text sizes to adapt for neurodiversites. We also offer BSL (British Sign Language) video calls for clients with hearing impairments.
Once clients understand we’re an independent charity and our only role is to help them, they then begin to open up. That’s when the real work begins.
We talk through their usage, their costs and how they pay for their energy and explore what extra support they might be entitled to. Sometimes we discover they are on a tariff that doesn’t suit their needs or they haveextremely high usage, which is causing unaffordable bills. We tailor our advice to every client’s personal situation. The training, knowledge and experience that we possess make all the difference.
When contacting an energy supplier, clients often feel anxious, vulnerable or exhausted from long waits. Our advisers can often speak to someone quickly. We advocate for the client and often are able to achieve a resolution that they haven’t been able to get on their own.
As Energy Advisers, we don’t just provide information; we challenge systems. We know the rules, regulations and systems that suppliers should follow, and hold them to account. When necessary, we raise formal complaints, and if needed, we escalate to the ombudsman. For many people, this process is daunting, stressful and confusing. So our support can often be a lifeline for clients who can feel overwhelmed or afraid of the process.
We understand the stigma of seeking advice. We give our clients dignity by ensuring they have the same adviser throughout the process. This prevents them from being passed around or forced to repeat their story, providing consistent support until their issue is resolved.
We rarely know what new clients we’ll get, as it’s hard to predict who will contact us. Many stories are harrowing, and they are never isolated cases. Energy bills have been sky-high for years, so we are hearing even more heartbreaking stories on a regular basis.
I vivdly remember one family referred to National Energy Action. The dad had a stroke whilst working as a paramedic. He was unable to continue working after this. The mum, who was a social worker, had to give up work to become a carer for her husband and do all the childcare for their four children. They moved to a new property. It didn’t even have a cooker, it was all-electric – meaning high bills as electricity costs four times more per unit than gas. This was a problem that was compounded by high energy costs for medical needs.
They rented a cooker for £30 a week. It was faulty, but they couldn’t find an alternative, as they didn’t have enough money coming in. They started living in one room of the house to save on energy because they couldn’t afford to heat the whole house. They began to fall into arrears.
The father used to use baths to alleviate the pain from the stroke, but he sacrificed this due to the high energy costs.
When they were referred to National Energy Action, I applied for a grant to get them a new cooker. This increased their monthly income from over £100 a month as they didn’t have to pay for the faulty one. This then went to their energy costs.
I spoke to their supplier about the debt. The family received support, and they were moved onto an affordable tariff. They could now heat their full home, and the dad could take more baths to support with his pain.
I applied to the Winter Support Fund to help them with a heated airer and provided them with one of National Energy Action’s Winter Warmth Support Packs.
We often meet clients at community events. One time, I ran into a client I’d previously advised. This time was smiling, happier and warmer. Now that she was financially stable, she went out of her way to say, ‘I only spoke to you for five minutes, and I didn’t think you could help much, but in those five minutes you’ve changed my life.’
Without funding, relationships and partnerships, we simply wouldn’t be able to provide the vital support that we do. It makes it possible for us to go to areas that on the surface seem affluent, but there are pockets of deprivation.
Sometimes our support can seem small on the outside, but to clients in the most desperate circumstances, it can mean everything. A client once told me that a fuel top-up voucher literally saved her life.