Changeworks’ Tenant Energy Support is a one-of-a-kind energy advice service for housing association tenants across Scotland. Almond worked closely with TES advisors to run general energy saving advice workshops prior to the vouchers being issued.
Changeworks’ Tenant Energy Support is a one-of-a-kind energy advice service for housing association tenants across Scotland. Whilst national in scope, the focus is on tailoring support to meet local needs and concerns.
What is the Tenant Energy Support Service (TES)?
TES provides comprehensive energy information, advice and advocacy to help tenants manage their home energy. This support is vital in the social housing sector, where 61% of households are in fuel poverty and 32% in extreme fuel poverty.1
When a housing association joins the service, their tenants gain access to a range of in-person, online, and over the phone energy advice and support. Topics range from solving common billing issues (such as being overcharged by a supplier) to using heating systems efficiently and saving energy at home.
Crucially, rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach, the service is guided by local needs. Working closely with our partners, our expert energy advisors respond to tenants’ specific concerns by running events tailored to these needs. By providing focussed talks and a space for questions, as well as access to more in-depth support and advocacy where needed, housing associations can ensure positive outcomes for their tenants, helping them stay more affordably warm at home, and increasing their knowledge and confidence to manage their own home energy.
Case study: Almond Housing Association
Over the winter months, Almond Housing Association accessed funding which enabled them to issue energy vouchers to their tenants. To ensure tenants were receiving holistic and sustainable support, Almond worked closely with TES advisors to run general energy saving advice workshops prior to the vouchers being issued. A series of weekly talks were held by a TES advisor in the Almond offices for tenants to attend. Here, they could receive energy saving information and advice, then collect their voucher. Those with more complex energy issues could also access additional support through an advisor.
Service impact so far
Following a pilot project with five housing associations, TES launched in September 2024. Eight housing associations are currently signed up to the service, meaning up to 20,000 tenants now have access to Changeworks’ online energy saving resources. In the first six months of the service:
National scope, local focus
The service works with housing associations across Scotland (recent members include Hjaltland in Shetland, Osprey in Aberdeenshire and Almond in West Lothian) and we are committed to tailoring our support to local circumstances.
As Morven Masterton, Changeworks’ Head of Community Engagement and Energy Advice Services explains:
“It’s important to us to offer a service which adapts and responds to the unique circumstances of each housing association that we work with, and each community within that. We want to ensure proper engagement and connection with the local community, based on what that community needs. That means combining remote support with boots on the ground.”
With bases in both the North and South of Scotland, TES advisors have been travelling across the country to deliver events, carry out doorstepping activity, and offer in-depth support. One week might see advisors visit a small block of flats in Bathgate on a Wednesday, then a larger development in Dundee on a Friday. Another week might see one advisor in Renfrewshire, talking about the Radio Teleswitch Service shutdown, whilst another is in Elgin, helping tenants understand their heating system.
“Our message to housing associations is that our advisors can be there,’ Masterton continues. “They have expert knowledge and experience of people who are vulnerable and in need. We think that’s the real strength of the service, and that engaging and responding in this way will help tenants stay affordably warm in their homes.”
To find out more about how Changeworks’ TES service can support your housing association, please contact workwithus@changeworks.org.uk.
