Vulnerable residents in West Sussex can get a helping hand with their bills thanks to the council’s energy supplier.
Your Energy Sussex, which supplies gas and 100% renewable electricity to homes across the county, is working with Citizens Advice to fund emergency fuel vouchers for pre-payment meter customers (£28 for a single person and £49 for a family).
To qualify, applicants must be vulnerable (i.e. due to age or a health condition), have limited income, be in receipt of means-tested benefits and face difficult financial circumstances. Applicants do not have to be a Your Energy Sussex customer to receive a voucher.
Residents should contact their local Citizens Advice Branch if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “I am delighted that we are able to use the surplus we generate through Your Energy Sussex to help some of the most vulnerable people in the county. In recent weeks we’ve been able to increase the amount of funding available to the scheme to take account of the extra financial challenges people are facing.”
The Emergency Fuel Voucher scheme is part of Your Energy Sussex’s wider commitment to combatting fuel poverty. The supplier was launched by West Sussex County Council in 2018 to get more people to switch and save money by offering consistently competitive energy prices and working hard to keep customers on its best tariff. It is supported by councils across Sussex including East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council.
Your Energy Sussex prides itself of being different to most energy suppliers because it is run on a not-for-profit basis, supplies 100% renewable electricity* to all its customers and uses the surplus it generates to build a Fuel Poverty Fund to help local residents.
If you would like to support the work of Your Energy Sussex and become a customer, go to www.yourenergysussex.org.uk for a quote.