It was a pleasure welcoming Citizens Advice to our Shoreham Farmers' Market where local residents were invited to bring their latest fuel bills to the market and find out if they could make potential savings of more than £300 on their home energy.
Volunteers and staff from Citizens Advice were on hand to answer questions, show how simple switching can be under the Energy Switching Guarantee, signpost visitors to means tested grants and support and offer practical information and advice on cutting costs.
It’s all part of a joint project Central and South Sussex Citizens Advice (CaSSCA) is running with the Big Energy Saving Network (BESN), an initiative funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to help vulnerable households get warmer homes and lower fuel bills.
Latest figures show that only 18% of households switched energy supplier last year, despite an average difference of £315 between the cheapest tariffs and the most expensive variable tariffs that supply the majority of homes. More than a third of households haven’t switched in over 6 years, and they could be £1,500 better off.
Lee Furlong, Client Services Manager for CaSSCA said
“Fuel bills will be particularly high this year due to the cold winter and it’s important that consumers know they can save money. There is a misconception that all suppliers are the same, and consumers are losing out as a result. We’re finding that it’s often the most vulnerable households who are helped by our free independent and impartial energy advice”
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Citizens Advice Shoreham-by-Sea is part of Central and South Sussex Citizens Advice, which comprises seven centres: Horsham, Crawley, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead, Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea, as well as several outreaches. People can visit the website - www.cassca.org.uk – for full information on opening times and locations, as well as details of how to speak with a local adviser via email. People can also phone Adviceline to speak with a local adviser, on 0344 477 1171 (Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm).
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Anyone interested in volunteering for Central and South Sussex Citizens Advice will find information about the experience and the different roles available, from adviser to receptionist, by visiting www.cassca.org.uk.
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The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local bureaux, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website.
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The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
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For advice online, or to find your local bureau in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk.
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You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.
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Citizens Advice in England and Wales advised 2 million clients on 5.5 million problems from October 2014 to September 2015. For full statistic see our quarterly publication, Advice trends.
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Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at more than 3,000 service outlets across England.
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Statistics about switching levels, potential savings and reasons given for not switching taken from OFGEM and the Energy Saving Trust: