“It’s crucifying me to top up,” says Ralph Breach, 61, as he sits on the sofa in his basement flat in Cliftonville, Margate. “I just seem to be forever going to the shop to put the electric on. I seem to be digging myself into a hole. Anything is worth a try.”
That “anything” is an appointment with Green Doctor, a free advice service aimed at vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills. Its staff offer help on how to tackle an energy or water bill debt, power-saving tips and support accessing other financial help.
In her smart black uniform, Priya Pabla is one of 120 energy efficiency experts making home visits to people such as Breach, who have usually been referred by their local council. In 2022 “green doctors” visited 36,000 homes and their help added up to an annual saving of £5m for those households.
Operating across England and Wales, the service is an initiative by the community charity Groundwork. It is aimed at people experiencing fuel poverty, traditionally defined as when energy costs exceed 10% of a household’s net income. The charity National Energy Action estimates the total number of UK households in fuel poverty has increased from about 4 million two years ago to about 6.6 million today.
At the end of last year the charity polled green doctors about their experience on the frontline of the energy crisis. Amid a steep rise in the number of people needing support, cases were “more complex and urgent”, they said. The advisers also said they saw a rising number of people on average or above-average incomes struggling with their energy bills and usage.
In another shocking statistic, two-thirds had supported households forced to switch to prepayment meters and has witnessed people struggling to put money on gas as well as electricity. There had also been an increase in referrals from mental health agencies as the cost of living crisis took its toll on people’s wellbeing.
“People are living without electricity in pre-Victorian living conditions,” one green doctor reported. “Some people get so upset they can cry during a consultation. Others are angry – but pleased to hear from us.”
One of the main challenges for the advisers is they are currently unable to help people move to a cheaper tariff, traditionally one of the tools they had at their disposal (although the hope is that will soon change as this month’s cut to the energy price cap could herald the return of more competitive fixed deals). While fitting practical energy-saving measures that made a difference, green doctors were referring many more people to emergency support and debt advice due to the crisis.
Pabla is able to give Breach advice on how to manage his bills; he receives £312 universal credit a month, of which £80 goes on gas alone. One of the first things she does is get him added to his energy company’s priority register, which is an additional support service offered by every supplier.
Next up, she tours his home to see what practical advice she can serve up. Spotting his radiators, she offers him some panels: “If you stick it down the wall behind the radiator, it reflects the heat back up, so you get more heat out of the radiator.”
Breach complains his home is draughty and he “usually hangs a curtain over the front door”. To help, Pabla supplies self-adhesive draft excluders and a letterbox brush strip. He does not have any smoke alarms and she is able to provide those, too. They also discuss his other bills and extra government support he may be entitled to, and she promises to apply for a fuel voucher that is likely to be worth in the region of £30.
Graham Duxbury, the UK chief executive of Groundwork, says it has seen a big increase in the number of people seeking support in the past three years. “More households and families are falling into fuel poverty, and nearly half of those are people who are working ,” he says. Previously, people could save money by switching energy providers and changing tariffs but that “doesn’t make any difference now”.
With no “end in sight” to the energy crisis, Duxbury, adds: “We need to adjust to the new reality of higher prices, which means services like Green Doctors are treating symptoms not causes. We need to focus on political measures – a credible plan to retrofit homes and make sure energy efficiency measures are there in the first place.”
Also in Margate is Christine Cork, 61, who has been living in an ex-council home on her own for 10 months after the end of her 40-year marriage. “It’s been pretty rough,” she says. “I’m getting into a little debt but I’m trying to clear it off.”
Pabla discusses her energy use and they look to see if there are any discounts she may qualify for. She also checks the property’s energy performance certificate: it has a D rating. “That’s the UK average,” Pabla says. “You have cavity wall insulation, which is not great. There’s 150mm of loft insulation and it needs to be over 200mm to be effective. It could do with a top-up.”
Cork, too, complains about the draft from her front door during the winter and Pabla also gives her a draft excluder. “It’s foam material and you can put it between the frame and door to fill in any gaps,” she says, adding that she will apply for a fuel voucher for her.
Pabla advises her to turn off anything that is on standby and leaves Cork with a powerdown unit, which enables you to turn off appliances using a remote.
“It’s really useful for anyone with a set-up where it’s inconvenient to turn off the TV, for instance,” Pabla says. She also discovers that Cork’s broadband and TV package is surprisingly high, at over £150, and that there’s a broadband social tariff available she might be able to switch to, and to give her provider a call.
Pabla’s final visit is with Rachael Parker, 28, who moved into her council terrace home in October with her daughter, 5, after being on the waiting list for five years. “I thought if I could get help with anything that would be helpful,” says Parker as she plays with her daughter. “Everything is more expensive.”
Parker, who works part-time in her mum’s pet shop, spends £75 on gas and £100 on electricity per month. Like many of the people Pabla visits, she has a smart meter, uses an air fryer and works hard to stay on top of rising bills.
Pabla dishes out advice, such as using the washing machine’s eco setting, and also gives her radiator panels. Checking her lightbulbs, she promises to leave her with “LED bulbs which are more expensive but use less electricity, so it costs you less”.
However, a big financial saving emerges from the visit because when Pabla calls up Southern Water, Parker is eligible for its social tariff. “They apply at least a 20% discount and will cap bills to whatever the average use is,” she says after a short call. The Green Doctor has secured Parker a saving worth £50 a month, a small victory in the battle with sky-high energy costs.