South London Together

SELCE and Thinking Works

Providing accessible help to keep South London communities safe and warm

Our project at a glance

• Strategic priority area: Targeting regional communities most at risk of fuel poverty
• Support target: 2,451 households per year
• Duration: February 2023 to April 2025
• Investment: £369,921 over two years
• Forecast SROI: £3.10

Why we’re working together

Based on 2020 fuel poverty statistics, approximately 11.1% of households in London were living in fuel poverty before the pandemic. Yet this average figure masks huge variations across the capital. 

When considering fuel poverty figures at LSOA level across local authorities, there are areas of extreme deprivation within South London with far higher than average levels of households in fuel poverty.

Local community organisations South East London Community Energy (SELCE) and Thinking Works have seen a marked increase in demand for energy advice from households in these areas. Those who are struggling the most tend to also face other barriers to accessing support, for example, low levels of English proficiency or low levels of literacy.  

We’re working together with SELCE and Thinking Works to provide trusted and accessible information to households in South London most likely to be living in fuel poverty and energy crisis.

Project objectives

• Delivering an accessible energy advice service
• Providing a Heat Doctor service for in-home consultations on reducing energy consumption 
• Supporting frontline community and voluntary sector workers to triage residents for referral into SELCE and Thinking Works’ fuel poverty advice teams
• Providing access to emergency fuel vouchers for households in crisis in south-west London 
• Raising awareness of carbon monoxide and providing CO alarms for households most at-risk

How we’re working together

One-to-one energy advice 

We’re aiming to provide 4,903 households with personalised energy advice over our two-year programme. We’re doing this through energy cafés, home visits, telephone sessions, warm hubs and workshops. 

Ensuring our service is inclusive and accessible to all who need it is fundamental to our programme. We’re using interpreters, employing energy advisers who speak community languages and working with third-sector partners to make sure that communication isn’t a barrier to households in crisis accessing support. 

During our sessions, we also support households to join the Priority Services Register if eligible and raise awareness of the risk of carbon monoxide and how to mitigate these. 

Heat Doctor service

Through our Heat Doctor service, we’re able to visit vulnerable households and offer practical help to reduce energy consumption. The Heat Doctors provide essential heating system maintenance and simple repairs such as bleeding radiators, repressurising boilers, cleaning the sludge from radiators and adjusting the flow control.

Frontline worker training

Londoners in energy crisis often turn to faith or community groups for help. Although these organisations can provide immediate help, they don’t have the skills to provide longer-term support to lift households out of fuel poverty. 

Through workshops and pop-up energy cafés, we’re providing free training to frontline workers at community and faith organisations that work with marginalised groups in South London. The training educates frontline workers on how to identify households in fuel poverty and provides onward support through the South London Together programme. 

How to get involved

Accessing the South London Together service

If you support a South London household that could benefit from the South London Together service, you can refer them to the programme by contacting Thinking Works on 0800 118 2327 or SELCE on 020 4566 5764. 

If you live in South London and need help with energy-related issues, you can get support from our South London Together programme by calling 0800 118 2327 or filling in the online referral form. 

How to become a South London Together partner

If you’re a community or faith organisation working with marginalised groups in London, we can offer free training to help you support your members living in fuel poverty. We can also offer energy advice workshops and pop-up events. 

To register your interest in our training or workshops, please get in touch with Thinking Works on 0800 118 2327 or enquiries@thinkingworks.co.uk.