Cadent scheme sees 1,400 kept on supply after disconnection

A partnership between gas network Cadent and fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) has kept more than 1,400 vulnerable households on supply following a disconnection.

Under the Reactive Response programme, vulnerable customers who have had their gas supply disconnected on safety grounds and are unable to afford the repair costs can be immediately referred to NEA by a Cadent engineer.

The charity can then provide the funding to help reinstate their supply.

It is estimated that the programme, which is being hailed as an industry first, has prevented the accumulation of £158,000 worth of potentially harmful borrowing by consumers to pay for repairs/ and or replacement.

An evaluation by NEA found that without the scheme, “households would likely have experienced deterioration of their physical and mental health”.

Both Cadent and NEA are now calling for the scheme to be taken up by the wider utility sector, with Cadent Foundation director Julia Dwyer saying she hoped the scheme would provide “a blueprint that all gas and electric distribution networks can replicate to support vulnerable customers”.

She said: “Supporting people out of fuel poverty is one of the fundamental objectives of the Cadent Foundation and the Reactive Response scheme offers an innovative new approach to tackling a growing problem. This is the first initiative of its kind within the energy industry and its impact on vulnerable customers has already been phenomenal.

“A referral from a Cadent engineer to National Energy Action can be the key to re-establishing a safe and effective heating system in the home of a vulnerable person.

“By helping people to achieve affordable warmth, the Reactive Response scheme is reducing the number of households likely to be in fuel poverty, improving health and wellbeing and consequently, reducing demand on primary health care services.

“There has also been a significant impact on Cadent frontline staff. By referring a customer for assistance, engineers can leave knowing that the needs are being taken care of, giving them peace of mind and job satisfaction.”

NEA chief Adam Scorer said: “From April, 7.5 million UK households will be in fuel poverty, according to our figures. When there is a problem, customers may have to be disconnected from the gas supply for safety.

“While some can afford to fix the problem, those in fuel poverty could have been left off supply – cold and desperate. The Reactive Response programme means we can identify those who need urgent help and with Cadent, we can get them reconnected as soon as possible so they can get the lights and heat back on.”