A Facebook page set up to help people who have issues with their energy suppliers has been 'overwhelmed' with requests for crisis payments, its founder has revealed.
Gemma Hatvani, who started Energy Support and Advice UK after she was made redundant from energy suppler EON in 2020, says the number of group members desperate for help to keep their homes warm has increased by 800% in the last month, and she and her team of 18 advisors are struggling to cope with thousands of emails every day from people unable to pay their energy bills.
And now Ms Hatvani is calling for an immediate and urgent review Into the delivery of the Energy Bills Support Scheme payments from suppliers to customers, after dealing with thousands of heart-breaking cases when families could not afford to heat their homes as they had not received the cost of living payments.
Read more: Newcastle CAB fears people will die this winter as first cold snap hits city
The group has even set up a GoFundMe page to help people who have 'fallen through the cracks," and can't get help any other way, according to Ms Hatvani, who says a lot of the issues have been caused by energy companies who have not paid the £66 energy vouchers to families on prepayment meters, meaning they are now around £200 short of what they should have received. "It's disgraceful," said Ms Hatvani. "Tens of thousands of people have not had the vouchers they are entitled to because of incorrect information about their meters held by energy companies. They are sitting in the dark, in freezing cold homes and many are self disconnecting and off supply without any heating. And to make things worse, customers are having to wait on hold for up to six hours to speak with energy suppliers, with many then receiving incorrect information. They need help now."
Ms Hatvani, who said that she originally set up the group with the intention of educating and empowering people about their energy bills, has found herself and her team overwhelmed after its numbers grew from 1,000 in 2020 to around 150,000 as the cost of living crisis began to bite and energy bills spiralled out of control for many families.
And while the Facebook group's members share tips on how to keep heating costs down in the current cold snap, argue about whether heating should be kept on overnight or not and share sensible - and in some cases frankly bizarre - tips on saving money, behind the scenes the team are working with agencies such as the Fuel Bank Foundation to get help to where it is needed so families can warm up their freezing homes.
"We get requests for financial help all of the time, and once we have done our due dilligence and know that someone is in dire straits, we pass them on to one of the three agencies we work with, Said Ms Hatvani. "They are given a £49 top-up voucher code, which isn't a fortune by any means but it should hopefully pay for enough energy to give them the time to either sort things out with their supplier or get some money from family or friends. Before they get the code, we have to ensure that the supplier resets the meter so that any debt is not recovered from the emergency payment, or the household would be back to square one. It takes a tremendous amount of time and work.
The group has recently teamed up with IVIE, one of the leaders in energy saving technology and Snoop the budgeting app, as Ms Hatvani says the key to managing the energy crisis is to take back control of your situation and understand the options that may be open to you to help in the current crisis.
"I set up the group when I was made redundant as I know that I could do more to help people than their energy companies were doing, but I never envisaged the volume of people who would need help as the energy price cap rose and rose," said Ms Hatani. "But I still think that there is a lot of work to be done to educate people, and if we manage to help people to take control, it's worth it."
Newcastle Citizens Advice last week revealed that it had seen more people who can't afford to heart their homes so far this year than the previous five years combined. While everyone is likely to see increased bills as the weather gets colder, customers who have prepayment - or pay-as-you-go - meters are literally left in the cold if they have no money to top up their meters.
A spokesman said: "It's shocking and desperate and we are worried that people are going to pass away simply because their homes are too cold. Around 6,000 people in England died as a direct result of their homes being too cold in winter 2020-21, when energy costs were around half of what they are now.
"The energy price guarantee is £2,500 for an average home but the message we are getting is that this is massively unaffordable for some people, who are taking desperate - and dangerous - risks to keep warm."
Now read:
- Energy saving: We look at what will save you money and what's a waste of time
- Tumble driers, radiators and heated airers: Work out the best way to get your laundry dry amid the energy crisis
- One gadget you should buy if you're serious about saving energy during the cost of living crisis
- Households could save cash by taking a look at their fridge-freezer according to Which? consumer experts
- Simple switch to LED bulbs could save you up to £400 every year
- Why now is not the time to ask your energy supplier for your money back
