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INDEPENDENT LIVING – A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR TENANTS

E-LEARNING

Moving into your own home for the first time can feel overwhelming, regardless of your background, experiences or personal circumstances. Whether you are a university student or a young person leaving care, a former member of the armed forces or someone new to the country with limited English skills, the transition to independent living brings both opportunities and challenges. 

This e-learning course is a practical and supportive guide designed to help tenants navigate this important life step with confidence. It covers essential topics to help you:  

  • Understand domestic energy use 
  • Set up and manage your domestic energy effectively 
  • Avoid common pitfalls of fuel poverty and energy debt 
  • Know how and where to seek help 

By the end of this course, you will be better equipped to make informed decisions, manage your household responsibilities, and avoid common pitfalls that may cause fuel poverty and debt in the future. 

Course audience

This practical course is designed to help individuals confidently navigate the world of home energy. Whether you’re setting up your first energy account or looking to cut down on household bills, this course gives you the essential knowledge and tools to make informed decisions.

PLEASE NOTE: this course is aimed at clients/ householders rather than advice workers.

Course aim

To provide a comprehensive guide to support those transitioning into independent living, prevent people from falling into fuel poverty by successfully navigating their fuel bills, and how to be energy efficient. 

Objectives

Section 1- Who’s who in the energy sector 

  • Identify key organisations and roles within the energy sector 
  • Explore key terms and phrases of the energy sector 

Section 2- Why we need to keep warm at home 

  • Identify satisfactory room temperatures and situations that may make heating costs hard to meet 
  • Explore how household income could affect our ability to keep warm and the health impacts of living in a cold home 

Section 3- Opening an energy account 

  • Know the importance of setting up an energy account when you move into a new property 
  • Know the steps to take for opening an energy account  
  • How an energy account might be managed in shared housing situations 

Section 4- Energy efficiency – appliances and power ratings 

  • Explore energy efficiency at home and interpret energy labels 
  • Identify energy efficient appliances, their power rating and know the cost of using them 

Section 5- Understanding and reading different types of meters 

  • Recognise different meter types 
  • Interpret information displayed on meters for accurate meter readings 
  • Know the advantages of having a smart meter 

Section 6-Mastering energy tariffs 

  • Explore the different types of energy tariffs and the advantages and drawbacks 
  • Be able to recommend a tariff appropriate to the situation 
  • Recognise how money may be saved on different energy tariffs 

Section 7 – Mastering energy payments 

  • Understand an energy bill 
  • Calculate consumption from meter readings and how the cost of energy is calculated 
  • Understand different payment methods and apply them to different situations 

Section 8- Heat loss and insulation in the home 

  • Know the key area of domestic heat loss and understand how to reduce this by insulation 
  • Calculate the payback methods and savings on fuel costs of different types of insulation 

Section 9-Efficient home energy management 

  • Explore how we use domestic energy and how to avoid energy waste 
  • Understand the information on an Energy Performance Certificate 
  • How to support the change of energy consumption behaviour 

Section 10-Signposting and support 

  • Why individuals may need to seek help and support and the organisations that can help. 

Please note that the course content will focus mainly on England and Wales. If you are based in Northern Ireland or Scotland and interested in this course, please contact trainingadmin@nea.org.uk before booking so we can discuss the main differences.

Delivery method

E-learning

How will the e-learning work?

E-learning is self led giving learners the flexibility to study as and when they wish.

Once registered, learners will have access to the course to study online at a time and location that is convenient to them.

A handout booklet covering the relevant topics will also be available to download and keep.

Tutor support

Tutor support will be available upon request. This is usually done via telephone or video call.

Suggested study time

This course will take approximately 2-3 hours to complete the full course however each learner is different and e-learning offers the flexibility to study at your own pace. Learners will have access to the course for four weeks from their selected start date.

Fees

INDIVIDUAL PLACES

FUNDED PLACES – we have a small number of funded places available to tenants living in England and Wales. Please complete a booking form via the link below to request a funded place.

For those not eligible for a funded place, fees are as follows:

NEA MembersNon Members
NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANISATIONS£65 + VAT£75 + VAT
COMMERCIAL ORGANISATIONS£80 + VAT£90 + VAT
PLEASE NOTE that the NEA members discount only applies to ‘enhanced’ membership as outlined in the membership documentation.

GROUP / ORGANISATION BOOKINGS

We also offer ‘licences’ to organisations that have a large number of people they would like to complete the course. This will provide access for 6 months or 12 months for an unlimited number of learners, subject to contractual stipulations. 

This type of licence will provide a tailored version of the course specifically for the organisation.  

Included within the licence fee are two tailored slides to add information that is specific to your organisation. This may be information about your organisation, for example, a housing association supporting its tenants or a local charity supporting prison leavers moving into their own homes.  Additional tailored slides can be purchased upon request. 

The organisation can appoint an admin person who will be able to access reports on learner activity. 

For further details, costs and terms please contact trainingadmin@nea.org.uk 

Further information

trainingadmin@nea.org.uk

BOOKING FORM

E-LEARNING BOOKING FORM – Independent Living: A Practical Guide for Tenants


  • THE INDEPENDENT LIVING COURSE IS AIMED AT TENANTS LIVING IN ENGLAND AND WALES (RATHER THAN ADVICE WORKERS). TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS E-LEARNING MODULE, PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FIELDS.

    PLEASE NOTE: Once you complete the booking form and select submit you should see a confirmation note on screen. If not and instead you return back to the top of the booking form, your booking is not complete. Please check that all relevant fields are complete (all fields marked with a * are mandatory) and your e-mail address is correct then submit again.

  • 1) PROPOSED START DATE

  • PLEASE NOTE – this course is self-led so there are no set dates to attend (this is just an indication of when you would like your learning to begin. It can take up to 5 working days for login details to be sent).
    DD slash MM slash YYYY

  • 2) BOOKING CONTACT

  • Enter N/A if you are not part of an organisation.

  • 3) LEARNER DETAILS

  • Click ‘+’ to add additional names.

    Location details are requested to help us monitor the reach of learning across the country. Personal details will not be shared with others.
    NameE-mailCountyPostcode 
  • If you are a client/ tenant, did you find out about this course through another agency? If so, please provide the name below to help us with reporting.

  • 4) FEE RATE

    As indicated in the course outline, funded places are available to tenants living in England and Wales (this course is not aimed at advisors).

  • 5) INVOICE DETAILS

    The details provided in this section will be used to issue an invoice. Please provide the relevant finance / accounts payable contact details and if needed, a purchase order number to ensure prompt payment.
  • If a purchase order number is not required, please enter ‘N/A’ below.

  • 6) TERMS & CONDITIONS

    1. Once in receipt of this completed booking form, NEA shall aim to provide the learner with login details to access the e-learning within 5 working days.
    2. The learner must not disclose their login details to others.
    3. The learner will have access to the course for four weeks.
    4. The e-learning is copyright protected and must not be printed or copied.
    5. Cancellations:
      ~ Any cancellations received after login details are sent will still be charged at the full rate as outlined above.
      ~ Notice of cancellation must be confirmed in an email.
      ~ These conditions will not apply if the course is postponed or cancelled by NEA.


  • 7) DATA PROTECTION

  • We collect and use your personal information to manage your booking and provide the services you’ve requested. To help us deliver the best possible support, we may share your information within our organisation. Your data will be handled securely and only accessed by authorised staff. We will never share your details with external third parties unless required by law. By submitting this form, you agree to the use of your data in line with current data protection legislation.

    Our full privacy policy can be viewed at the following link – https://www.nea.org.uk/privacy-policy/

  • From time-to-time NEA may also send details of further projects / training events including free courses. Would you like to be included in these mailings?

  • 8) CONFIRMATION

  • If you have read and agreed to the above information please select the submit button below to complete your booking.

    PLEASE NOTE BEFORE SUBMITTING: If you return to the top of the course outline once you select submit, your booking is NOT complete and the form has not submitted properly. Please check that all relevant fields are complete (all fields marked with a * are mandatory) then submit again.

    Once submitted, a confirmation note should appear on screen and you should receive a confirmation e-mail.

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