Energyworks - our Energy Advice Service
Energyworks is a partnership project between Citizens Advice Brighton & Hove and Brighton & Hove Energy Services Coop (BHESCo). We provide energy advice and grants to Brighton and Hove residents experiencing fuel poverty.
We can help with understanding energy bills, making sure you’re not paying more than you should and negotiating with your supplier. We can help you reduce your energy use and costs, and make your home warmer and more energy-efficient. We can make sure you’re receiving all the financial support you are eligible for, and provide advice on other energy-related issues.Â
Please be aware that due to funding restrictions, we cannot guarantee you will receive an energy grant
How to contact Energyworks
The best way to apply for support from us is to fill out our online enquiry form by clicking on the button here:
You can call the Energyworks voicemail service on 0333 090 9150. Leave us a message and we will aim to call you back the same day.
You can send us an email at: energyworks@cabrightonhove.org
Or come to our drop-in advice service: Thursdays, 1:15pm at Tisbury Road Offices, Hove Town Hall, Tisbury Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ
(Please note that we can only support people in the following postcodes: BN1, BN2 BN3, BN41)
Please be aware that the service is very busy.Â
We have a 6Â week wait time from when we receive your details to the date of an advice appointment.
Free and cheap tips to reduce energy costs
- Turning down the thermostat by 1 degree Celsius – £145 saved (in a year)
- Turning appliances off rather than leaving them on standby – £65 saved
- Ensuring lights are switched off when leaving the room – £25 saved
- Not overfilling the kettle when boiling water – £13 saved
- Use your washing machine on a 30C max temperature cycle – £30 saved
- Only run your dishwasher when it is full – £30 saved
- Close curtains at the end of the day to stop heat escaping through the windows
- Make sure leaking taps are fully turned off
- Set thermostats on hot water tanks to 60C – this is likely inside a cupboard
Energy supplier financial support schemes
British Gas Energy Trust – Customers of other energy suppliers listed below can also apply. Open to prepayment meter customers only
EON/EON Next Energy Fund – Grants to help with energy bills, or to replace broken appliances such as ovens
EDF Support Fund – Grants to help with energy bills and white goods. Applicants must have received debt advice to apply
Octopus Octo Assist Fund – Grants to help with energy bills. Requires applicant to submit budget
Scottish Power Hardship Fund – Grants to help with energy bills. Applicants must contact a debt advice agency such as StepChange first, to ask for debt advice and eligibility
Shell Energy Helpfund – Debt write-offs for those struggling to pay their energy billsÂ
Bulb Energy Fund – Grants to help with energy bills and debt write-offs up to £2000. Partnership with Citizens Advice Plymouth, offering advice and info on energy issues
OVO Winter Support Package – Grants available to OVO, Boost and SSE Energy Services customers
Utility Warehouse Hardship Fund – Partnership with Plymouth Citizens Advice providing advice and grantsÂ
Local and National Grant Schemes
Help with essential items –Brighton & Hove City Council Local Discretionary Social Fund.
Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme – Property owners only.
Warmer Homes air-source heat-pump scheme – Open to owner/ occupiers and private tenants/private landlords only. Applications from social housing/council tenants cannot be accepted.
Warm Home Discount – One-off discount applied to electricity bills between early October 2023 and 31 March 2024.
Connected for Warmth – Award-winning grant scheme offering free energy-saving measures.
Southern Water Financial Assistance – Financial help for Southern Water customers.
Great British Insulation Scheme – Free or cheaper insulation to reduce your home’s energy bills. The scheme is subject to eligibility criteria.
Utilita ECO scheme – Free energy efficiency measures for low income households. You do not need to be a Utilita customer to qualify for the scheme.
Charis’s Let’s Talk Energy Fund – Provision of energy-efficient appliances and energy efficiency advice for people struggling to pay their utility bills.
Useful Info and Links
Energy price cap explained – Ofgem
Get help from your supplier: Priority Services Register – Ofgem
Cost of Living Payment – UK GovernmentÂ
How to read your energy meter – Citizens AdviceÂ
How to understand your energy bill – Energy Saving Trust
Switching energy supplier – Citizens Advice
Warm Home Hacks – Energy Saving Trust
Fixing damp and condensation – Energy Saving Trust
Keeping warm and fire advice – Citizens Advice Brighton & Hove
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How to contact BHESCo (Brighton and Hove Energy Services Co-operative)
BHESCo (Brighton and Hove Energy Services Co-operative) provides free home visits to look at your energy use. They may be able to fit energy-saving measures.
Telephone: 0800 999 6671
Email: info@bhesco.co.uk
Website: www.bhesco.co.uk
Service provided by:
Service funded by:
