Community Energy Pathways
Helping care leaver and traveller communities to maintain safe and warm homes
Our project at a glance
- Strategic priority area: Targeting geographic communities most at risk of fuel poverty
- Support target: 3,500 households over one year
- Duration: April 2025 to March 2026
- Investment: £349,998 over one year
- Forecast SROI: £9.13
Why we’re working together
Many households who are most at risk of living in a cold and damp home are also most likely to be left behind in the energy transition. Low-income households, as well as groups including care leavers and traveller communities, are more likely to need tailored engagement to use energy safely, affordability and efficiently.
Community Energy Pathways (CEP) is a pioneer of the UK’s community energy sector and has been advising and supporting communities to transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future since 2013.
Together, we’ve co-designed a new programme to deliver community-led energy advice programmes that will help households struggling to maintain a safe and warm home. We’ll focus on supporting marginalised communities, including care leavers, traveller communities and other vulnerable customers in underserved areas.
Project objectives
- Training frontline workers at Community Energy Pathways to deliver energy advice to vulnerable marginalised customers
- Reaching 3,000 care leavers with light-touch energy advice
- Reaching 300 traveller community members with tailored energy advice
- Engaging vulnerable households around energy efficiency and safeguarding at 280 community events and workshops
- Providing personalised in-depth advice through home visits and telephone sessions
- Raising awareness of the Priority Services Register and supporting eligible households to join
- Raising awareness of carbon monoxide safety and providing free CO alarms to households most at risk of CO harm
How we’re working together
Targeted engagement with care leavers
Community Energy Pathways will design and deliver a social media and print marketing campaign to reach 3,000 care leavers with energy advice. This will be followed up by online workshops to provide 300 care leavers with in-depth energy advice, income maximisation and specially designed training to understand their current and future energy use.
Tailored energy advice for traveller communities
The organisation will deliver surgeries in community venues to provide 300 members of the traveller community with bespoke advice tailored to their specific needs around energy efficiency and income maximisation. These sessions will be tailored to address the community’s accessibility needs and their exclusion from more standard advice processes.
Energy advice and safeguarding for other vulnerable groups
As well as our support for care leavers and traveller communities, this initiative will see Community Energy Pathways reach 2,900 vulnerable households with energy advice and safeguarding through community events and workshops. This will be a mix of events organised by the organisation, as well as attending events held by other community organisations in food banks, warm spaces and faith centres.
In-depth personalised energy advice
Our partnership will provide in-depth advice and support through home visits and telephone-based services. Through these sessions, advisers can offer in-depth and personalised support around issues including income maximisation and grant application support. As well as providing direct support, we’re able to signpost households for further support on energy tariffs, smart meters and energy debt.
How to get involved
Accessing the Community Energy Advice Partnership service
As one of our VCMA network partners, you can refer households for support from the Community Energy Advice Partnership by emailing advice@communityenergypathways.org.uk.
If you’re a care leaver or traveller and need help with energy, benefit or debt issues, email advice@communityenergypathways.org.uk.
Becoming a partner
You can find out more about partnering with Community Energy Pathways email phil.osullivan@communityenergypathways.org.uk.
Our new partnership with SGN allows Community Energy Pathways to expand our energy advice services, working with the community energy sector and supporting more people at risk of fuel poverty. Through this approach we are providing tailored support for care leavers and Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities, some of the most affected by rising energy costs. Our partnership will empower individuals with the tools to stay warm, save money, and live more comfortably through community-based advice and events.