Helping people in their own homes

Often it’s the people who need our help most who find it hardest to reach us. Our home advisors help by making house calls to vulnerable customers, giving them face-to-face energy efficiency advice and discussing what else is available to them under the Spreading Warmth Programme in the comfort, privacy and convenience of their own homes.

As our energy services representatives team manager, Judith Boulton is responsible for leading a team of eight energy efficiency home advisors.

Judith says: ‘It’s a specialised role. It takes certain characteristics, like patience and diplomacy. You need to be able to read the situation, sense how the customer wants to be assisted, and react appropriately.’

From experience, Judith has learned that first impressions don’t always reveal how in need someone really is. So it’s very important that she and her team get people to open up to them and say they need help.

In 2008, we made around 2,600 home visits, and, through over 100 community talks and public events, we reached around 10,000 people all over the UK.

In addition, our home advisors installed over 1,000 Real Time Display (RTD) monitors in customer homes throughout 2008, providing customers with the opportunity to monitor how much energy they were using and highlight any areas where consumption could be reduced.

It’s difficult to estimate exactly how much energy has been saved. But according to the Energy Saving Trust, the average household can save about £250 by taking the kinds of steps we suggest. In addition, home visits often lead to long-term behavioural changes that we couldn’t achieve any other way.