Our Vulnerability Strategy

Image showing and SGN Safe and Warm van in the background with a member of SGN staff in hi vi clothing showing leaflets to an older customer

Our ambition

We have a bold ambition to help at least 650,000 vulnerable customers use energy safely, efficiently and affordably between 2026 and 2031.

A smiling older lady is leaning out of her front door

Guiding our activity

Developed out of our RIIO-GD3 business plan, our five-year Vulnerability Strategy guides our activity to ensure we’re delivering genuine and valuable impact to those most in need of help to stay safe and warm at home.

Read our Vulnerability Strategy

Our objectives

Within our Vulnerability Strategy for 2026 to 2031, we’ve set five core objectives:

We will maintain sector-leading inclusive customer experience for all our customers
We will continue to provide training to all frontline employees and contractors to help them confidently identify and support our vulnerable customers
We will help more vulnerable households use gas safely, efficiently and affordably today
We will support our customers move towards net zero, tailored to their needs and circumstances
We will provide extra value for customers and stakeholdes by ensuring we deliver a positive SROI across our vulnerability delivery programme.

Our strategic priorities

We’re helping households stay safe and warm by delivering programmes under four strategic priority areas. We’ve identified these areas through extensive stakeholder engagement, expert insight, community-level data and our vulnerability mapping tools.

Providing services beyond the meter

Direct 'beyond the meter' services for vulnerable households as we go about our day-to-day operational work.

Supporting priority customer groups

Tailored support for priority customer groups most likely to need trusted help to maintain a safe and warm home.

Tackling fuel poverty and energy efficiency

Targeted support for customers struggling to afford energy in the most vulnerable geographical areas within our networks.

Reducing carbon monoxide harm

A data-driven approach to increase awareness and reduce carbon monoxide harm among those groups most at risk.

Our investment

Through the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide allowance (VCMA), we’ve been allocated £44.79m by the energy regulator Ofgem to invest in programmes to help keep vulnerable households safe and warm between April 2026 and March 2031.

This is the second VCMA period, aligned to the price control RIIO-GD3. It follows the success of the first VCMA funding mechanism in RIIO-GD2, when we supported 1,228,241 vulnerable households between 2021 and 2026.

You can find out more about our RIIO-GD2 programmes in our VCMA annual reports below.

Our reports

Every year, we publish a VCMI annual report detailing our progress in delivering our Vulnerability Strategy, enabled by the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance.