NEWS: CAB launches bid to help local people with soaring energy bills

MWH Admin TeamCampaign, News

Moray Citizens Advice Bureau is joining other CABs across Scotland to help people with soaring energy bills this winter.

Locally, we are working in collaboration with REAP (Rural Environmental Action Project) and HES (Home Energy Scotland) to deliver two events scheduled for Tuesday 14th Dec and Monday 24 Jan 2022. Both events will be held at Elgin Library Gallery between 1pm and 3pm.

The Big Energy Saving Winter campaign is launched today and will run for the next two months. It aims to help people save money by using less energy, and also provide information on grants that are available to help people who are in crisis.

The support the CAB can give you includes:

  • Helping you identify grants or benefits that you may be entitled to but don’t know about.
  • Talking to your energy supplier on your behalf, to re-structure any debts you may have and see if there’s any way they can help.
  • advising you on ways that you can cut energy use in your home, which could help with your bills.
  • Advising you on how to use your prepayment meter, or what to do if your energy supplier has gone out of business.

The campaign comes during a ‘perfect storm’ for consumers this winter, with increasing energy bills following the price cap rise in October, rising inflation meaning higher prices in the shops, as well as reductions to Universal Credit.

Launching the campaign today, Moray CAB manager Mary Riley says, “The sharp rise in energy bills this year is really going to hit a lot of people, particularly those who were already struggling with their bills. Around 1 in 4 households in Scotland were already in fuel poverty before this perfect storm hit. We know that people can feel helpless and isolated when they can’t pay their fuel bills, especially at this time of year. So our message in this campaign is, you don’t need to feel powerless about rising energy costs, your local CAB is here to help you.

Contact us on 01343 550088, or you can drop into our office at 6 Moss Street, Elgin, IV30 1LU. If you prefer to get our information online, try our moneymap.scot tool to check those ways to increase your income. Or visit our general advice website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland. The main thing to remember is that you’re not alone. We’re here to help you, and our advice is free, confidential and impartial. I don’t want to see anyone in Moray in fuel poverty this winter if we can possibly help avoid it.”

The campaign website is at www.cas.org.uk/BESW

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