Our customer lived alone in a one-bedroom council flat. He was off sick due to a broken ankle. He was due to go back to work when the factory he worked in burned down and he became unemployed. 

He had mental health/alcohol issues. He was vulnerable and had no credit on his pre-payment meters for both gas and electricity at the time. Food parcels were being delivered to him through the link worker who referred him to us. He had no credit on his mobile phone, so this further isolated him, and was also unable to keep in touch with his universal credit claim/council/water/sister/friends. 

He had a disabled sister and no other family. His sister was not local and she was posting him out £10-£20 for phone top-up and essentials on a few occasions. He had contact via phone with his GP as she issued him with continued sick notes. At the time he wasn’t claiming any benefits. 

He was referred to Live Inclusive by a Link Worker at his GP surgery. The referral was made for financial support with utility bills as he was unable to top up his electric pre-payment meter due to lack of finances. His circumstances had changed from working and earning to waiting for his universal credit claim to be processed. He had no money. The link worker at this point was having weekly food parcels delivered to his home. 

Initial contact was made via a phone call to assess his needs and what support we could give him. It was during the period of lockdown due to COVID-19 therefore, a garden visit was arranged. 

On the first visit, he brought out all his letters showing arrears and debts he had with the council for rent & council tax arrears and a water bill debt of over £700. He informed us the bailiffs were harassing him through phone calls. He stated he had no credit on his meters and when he tops up the electricity goes very quickly. He had used his emergency credit. He was shaking and anxious over his situation and felt, with the lockdown, he had nowhere to turn. 

We explored his energy use in the house. He had no energy-saving lightbulbs in his flat, with the lounge and bedroom ceiling light fitting having 6 bulbs in each fitting. Our Energy Advisor advised him to unscrew bulbs out of the fittings and leave one in each, as this would be sufficient for his lighting needs. He was using a fan heater in the lounge and leaving electrical appliances on standby. 

Through the energy redress funded voucher scheme a £49 credit was issued for his electric meter top-up on the same day and he has had a further two payments. 

Our Energy Advisor delivered 8 free LED light bulbs to him and he confirmed that the bulbs went straight into the fittings replacing the standard ones. He could see by the electricity dial movement how much energy he had begun to save. 

The Energy Advisor carried out visits and phone calls with him and would give him small manageable tasks to do in regards to energy-saving tips that he could remember and implement. She could see he struggled with his memory, and this approach would ensure he would build good energy efficiency habits and behaviours. She worked out how much energy the fan heater used compared to other heating appliances and this encouraged him to get rid of the inefficient fan heater. 

He informed Souria that whenever he comes across anyone he tells them how she went above and beyond to get him the help he needed. In his own words, he is buzzing over the free light bulbs. He still finds it hard to believe that simple energy saving tips can make such a difference. She received a call from his sister thanking her for the help and support given.