Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the number of people supported; smarter energy use and improved energy efficiency, saving money on energy bills and reducing carbon emissions; and helping people feel welcome and become more independent.
Our story
Empowered by Energy is a unique energy awareness project empowering newly recognised refugees to the UK, often struggling to survive on extremely low incomes, to help them overcome the language barrier, understand new energy systems and save money.
Funded by UK Power Networks, SSEN and SGN, the workshops are delivered face-to-face with expert partners like the Refugee Council and the Helen Bamber Foundation, who work closely with refugees and asylum seekers.
Coming from different climates, refugees won't automatically know how to keep a home warm, read their energy meter, set up an account or bleed radiators. The workshops build a self-sustaining support network to embed useful life skills and make communities more resilient. Without such support, refugees and asylum seekers can quickly find themselves owing hundreds of pounds to an energy supplier they didn't know they had.
The workshops give them the confidence to contact their energy company and get the support they need, take control of their energy bills and join their Priority Services Register. For example, energy companies provide translation services and tariff support, such as the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
"Everything is new for asylum seekers and refugees. On top of everything else they often end up with higher energy bills. Working with UK Power Networks, NEA has been able to support asylum seekers and refugees with energy advice which they can pass on to their families and communities. Being a refugee or asylum seeker is an overwhelming experience and this project gets help to those who need it most." Adam Scorer, Chief Executive, NEA
The workshops help to create confident 'energy champions' who can share practical tips with others on sustaining safe and warm homes throughout bitterly cold British winters, without unnecessarily falling into energy debt. The workshops cover the following content:
Workshop 1. Explaining why we need to keep warm to keep healthy. Who is affected by cold homes. What is condensation and damp. Carbon monoxide awareness. Working out how to keep our homes warm and reduce heat loss. Interactive game to consider how to save energy and save money.
Workshop 2. Managing energy bills. Energy tips in the kitchen. Appliances and their costs. Types of heating. Types of meter including smart meters. Payment methods.
Workshop 3. Getting a good energy deal and how to switch energy supplier. Energy tariffs. True/false quiz on switching. Help available.
Our project has expanded into a joint initiative with Northern Gas Networks and SGN, and is scheduled to continue until March 2026.
Our advice
Running online events with interpreting services takes twice as long as you think it will.
Think about how to conduct meetings where participants are accessing Zoom via phones, rather than computers, and design workshop content to account for this.
Small groups work really well in online workshops and enable people to feel comfortable to ask questions.
You can still build up a rapport with attendees online, even when you speak different languages, if you spend time chatting to them over a cup of tea!
