Fuel Poverty Worker

What do they do?

Give helpful advice on energy efficiency, energy use, managing energy bills, heating and renewable energy to householders so as to help people live in warm, comfortable homes, with affordable heating.

What’s a typical day like?

This is a role for a people person, as most of your time would be spent giving advice to the public on the telephone and in their homes. You could also end up delivering training to front line staff such as health workers.

This job would suit people with:

The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people and understand how you might best help them.
The ability to take accurate notes, so you can give the correct advice and refer clients to the right agency
An understanding of fuel poverty issues and a passion for sustainable energy

What makes it a green career?

10% of the UK population live in under-insulated, cold homes, with high fuel costs that leave them in fuel poverty. This can easily lead to ill-health, but we also need to reduce everyone’s carbon emissions and a major part of this is reducing the amount of energy we use in heating our homes, and increasing their energy efficiency. Fuel poverty charities help by:

Advising what customers should do if they can’t afford to pay their bills or can’t afford to heat their home.
Linking people in fuel poverty with initiatives to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, for example initiatives to insulate their homes or improve their heating systems.
Giving out practical help as to how people can improve their homes themselves, to make them warmer and cheaper to run, (whilst also reducing carbon dioxide emissions).
Supporting people to change their behaviours to save energy, reducing both energy bills and their carbon emissions.
Ensuring people have the best electricity and gas deal, providing them energy at a competitive rate.

What qualifications do you need?

No formal qualifications but you might want to take the City & Guilds certificate in Energy Awareness.

How much could you earn?

Salaries typically start at around £18,000.