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Media

100,000th person benefits from fuel poverty helpline 9 February 2009

This week, the Home Heat Helpline (0800 33 66 99) reached an important milestone, with the 100,000th person contacting the service to access free advice and assistance on managing their energy bills.

Set up in 2005, the Helpline continues to help low-income and single-parent families, people living with disabilities and pensioners over 70 to reduce their energy bills. The help available includes access to reduced tariffs, grants for free home insulation and flexible payment options, as well as a disconnection safety net to ensure that vulnerable customers will not be cut off even if they are unable to pay their bill.

As part of the Helpline’s 2009 winter campaign, the service is calling on charities and other advice agencies as well as friends, relatives and carers to access the service online (at www.homeheathelpline.org.uk) and help a client, friend or relative to benefit from the free help available.

Oliver Wright, Campaign Manager for the Energy Retail Association, which manages the helpline said:

“This winter has been one of the coldest for many years and it’s more important than ever that people struggling to pay their bills know where to turn to for free and independent advice. Although we’ve been able to help 100,000 people over the past three years, we know that thousands of people are still struggling with their bills and have not had their fair share of the free help available.

“If you know someone in need, please call 0800 33 66 99 on their behalf or use our new online enquiry form at www.homeheathelpline.org.uk.”

The Home Heat Helpline has received support from Help the Aged, Age Concern, Citizen’s Advice, National Energy Action and Gingerbread alongside celebrities such as One Foot in the Grave actor Richard Wilson, former Paralympian Dame Tanni Gray-Thompson and weather presenter Sian Lloyd.

Ms Hobbs from Barry, Wales, who called the helpline earlier this winter said:

“I fell down the stairs in an accident that changed the way I live. I had to have a spine operation that meant that I needed to claim disability living allowance. After experiencing problems with my heating bills, I called the helpline and they put me through to my energy provider, who talked to me about how to save money and bring down the bills. They put me on a special care tariff for people with disabilities and also arranged for loft insulation. The support of the helpline helped me to change and adapt to cope with the effects of my accident”.

For more information on the Home Heat Helpline, visit the website at www.homeheathelpline.org.uk or call 0800 33 66 99.

ENDS

For further information, photos or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson for the Home Heat Helpline, please contact: Peter Jenkins, Head of Communications and Media Relations, 020 7104 4161 or Claire Gibson, Senior Press Officer, 020 7104 4162

NOTES TO EDITOR 1. The Home Heat Helpline operates from Monday to Friday 9am-8pm and from 10am-2pm on Saturday.

2. The Home Heat Helpline is a free number – 0800 33 66 99 – providing vulnerable customers with a direct link to specialist teams at their energy supplier, who can deliver one or more of the following services: a. The Priority Service Register which provides extra services for people who are elderly or disabled including bills in large text or Braille, security passwords and an annual gas safety check b. Grants for free home insulation c. Flexible payment options for customers in fuel debt d. Benefits entitlement checks e. A disconnection safety net which means that vulnerable customers will not be cut off even if they are unable to pay their bill

3. The Home Heat Helpline is managed by the Energy Retail Association and paid for by contributions from Britain’s major energy suppliers – see below.

4. The Energy Retail Association (ERA), formed in 2003, represents the major electricity and gas suppliers in the domestic market in Great Britain. All the main energy suppliers operating in the residential market in Great Britain are members of the association – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, npower, Scottish Power, and Scottish and Southern Energy.