National Energy Action
National Energy Action (NEA), the fuel poverty charity, campaigns so everyone can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home. This is something denied to millions because of poor housing, low incomes, and high bills.
Working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, everything we do aims to improve the lives of people in fuel poverty. We directly support people with energy and income maximisation advice and we advocate on issues including improving the energy efficiency of our homes.
We do not work alone. Partnerships and collaboration have been at the heart of NEA for over 40 years, helping us drive better health and well-being outcomes for people struggling to heat their homes.
As a result of the energy crisis, 6 million UK households are in fuel poverty. This means they spend at least 10% of their income on keeping their homes warm. Energy bills are twice as high as they were two years ago. Combined with poor housing and low incomes, this means that more people than ever before are struggling to afford the cost of heating and falling into debt.
Sky-high bills and cold, damp homes threaten to become the new normal for millions of people. We believe that this must not be allowed to happen. With your donations, we work to end fuel poverty and advocate for policy changes that will transform lives.
Our vision is to end fuel poverty. We work across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home.
“We can live, but it’s just existing. The bills seem insurmountable.”
Our work
We work to overcome the effects and causes of fuel poverty in four ways. We provide advice and support; we campaign and advocate for the needs of fuel-poor households; we carry out research to raise awareness and find solutions; and we provide accredited training.
Advice and support
We provide advice and support to people struggling to heat their homes affordably, either directly or via community engagement projects and outreach.
Campaigning and advocacy
We campaign and advocate to ensure that the needs of fuel-poor households are at the heart of policy decisions.
Research
We undertake research and share insights to raise awareness of fuel poverty and find solutions
Training
We develop accredited training and qualifications to improve standards in energy advice
Policy and Research
NEA’s policy and research work raises awareness of the impacts of fuel poverty and develops solutions to make energy costs more affordable. Our work is focused on four priority areas: energy markets and vulnerability; energy efficient housing; improving health, and technology and innovation. We work closely across the nations and with our sister charity Energy Action Scotland.
We can’t fight fuel poverty alone. Our work is delivered in partnership with policy makers, manufacturers, installers, energy suppliers and networks, local authorities, housing associations and universities, as well as many others with an interest in understanding the causes and effects, and supporting the people affected.
Fuel poverty
When households struggle to pay their energy bills for long periods it can lead to increasing and unsustainable levels of debt. The resulting vicious cycle of high bills and increased outgoings is difficult to escape. Households in fuel poverty often resort to unsafe energy rationing, trying to use as little energy as possible, which can be risky for their health and the condition of their home. Some people with prepayment meters even voluntarily disconnect from their mains energy supply in a bid to spend less.
Cold homes can cause or worsen a range of serious health conditions including heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis, and asthma. Each year, around 10,000 people die as a result of living in a cold home. Fuel poverty can also have a significant impact on mental health and is a known risk factor for suicide.
Fuel poverty is not inevitable. The systems that create the problem can be reshaped to fix it, so that everyone can live in a warm home. Since 2014 England has had a legally binding fuel poverty target, which states that the energy efficiency of energy-poor homes must be improved by set dates. As many fuel-poor households as reasonably practicable should achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of band C by 2030, with interim targets of band E by 2020, and band D by 2025.
Financial support to improve heating and insulation would result in smaller energy bills and reduced carbon emissions. Vulnerable people can be supported to navigate the complexities of the energy market, and additional protections can be put in place to make sure they aren’t unfairly disadvantaged by policies and practices. And welfare systems can be redesigned to release more people from the grip of poverty.
NEA is the leading fuel poverty charity working in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to:
• Relieve poverty and preserve and protect health by promoting the efficient use of energy for low-income and other vulnerable households.
• Advance public education about all aspects of energy conservation and the efficient use of energy.
• Promote or assist in promoting, vocational training for those employed in the delivery of energy efficiency services.
The key beneficiaries of NEA’s work are low-income and other vulnerable households, in particular the elderly, families with young children and those living with a long-term illness in poorly insulated and under-heated properties. Additionally, agencies which support those groups benefit from NEA’s services.
Innovating for vulnerable and low-income households
Our ambition is to help solve fuel poverty through understanding and applying innovations in vulnerable and low-income households. In partnership with Government, gas and electricity distribution networks, housing providers, installers and others we undertake:
Product Innovation
For decades our Innovation and Technical Evaluation Team have been at the forefront of trialling new technologies in fuel-poor households to better understand how innovation and technology can make a fundamental and sustainable difference to comfort, warmth, and the affordability of energy bills.
Service and System (re)Design
We advocate for inclusive service design from the point of development, considering how best to serve all customers. We work closely with Government, Ofgem, the Energy Industry and others to better understand internal service design and provide recommendations on improvements that will enhance the customer journey.
Engagement Models
We must ensure that we are engaging effectively with consumers, particularly those in marginalised groups who may not find traditional forms of engagement accessible, perhaps due to a language barrier. We appraise existing approaches and critically consider alternative methods of reaching out to communities.
Training and Assessment
National Energy Action’s dedicated training team offers courses for assisting households with fuel poverty, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and more.
We will teach you how to identify vulnerable households and provide them with useful advice. You will also learn how to signpost them to further assistance and support. We also have courses which cover technologies such as smart meters and renewable energy. These help support households embrace the green transition.
We regularly update our courses with the latest advice and information to keep your organisation on top of the issues. Our own research and policy work, as well as the experiences of our frontline advice workers help inform the course material.
Course Outlines
National Energy Action has expanded its range of face-to-face and online learning courses to ensure that organisations can continue to access our training in a way convenient to them.
Our full list of training courses, covers topics including fuel poverty, vulnerability, energy efficiency, health, decarbonisation and more. The courses are designed for frontline advice workers and anyone with an interest in fuel poverty and the issues surrounding it.
MEMBERSHIP
Come together to end fuel poverty!
Big challenges require impactful partners. Our vision is to end fuel poverty, but we know we can’t do this alone.
National Energy Action (NEA) is a membership organisation whose members include local authorities, housing associations, health agencies, charities, community groups and contracted installers through energy provider schemes. We offer two kinds of membership: Standard membership (supporting and enhanced), and Business Supporters Group membership. You can find out more about the differences below, but here are the benefits that all our members enjoy:
Our network opens doors to new partnership opportunities. Our members join forces with hundreds of organisations to exchange ideas, tackle challenges, share solutions and celebrate achievements. All of our members receive invitations to our events, including our regional Fuel Poverty Forums. And when we’re planning partnership activities ourselves, we put our members first.
Our members have exclusive access to our sector-leading analysis. Whatever your focus, we offer in-depth expertise, informative briefings and engaging events focused around government programmes, public health initiatives and energy market reform. All our members receive our quarterly magazine Fuel Poverty Focus and a monthly e-newsletter. From Westminster to hyper-local initiatives, we keep our members in the loop.
Our members actively shape our policy responses and advocacy efforts. National Energy Action is a fiercely independent charity, but we are determined to leverage the insights and experiences of our members to achieve the best possible outcomes for people experiencing fuel poverty.
Support Us
At National Energy Action (NEA), we believe that everyone should live in a warm and safe home. We work tirelessly to make sure this can be a reality for the millions of people facing fuel poverty across the country. However, this work wouldn’t be possible without the help of our supporters.
Whether it is through fundraising, donating or simply raising awareness, all of the support we receive makes a huge difference. Support NEA today and help us put an end to fuel poverty.
Contact National Energy Action:
National Head Office:
National Energy Action, West One,
Forth Banks,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 3PA
London Office:
National Energy Action,
1 – 2 Hatfields,
Waterloo,
London, SE1 9PG
Northern Ireland Office:
Citylink Business Park, 1 College House, Albert St, Belfast BT12 4HQ
Telephone / Switchboard:
0191 261 5677
National Energy Action (NEA) is an independent charity
Registration No. 290511
Registered in England No. 1853927
