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Christians urged to help the poor to keep warm

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This is a text-only version of an article first published on Friday, 24 May 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.

AS winter sets in and UK temperatures plunge, it is vital that vulnerable people can afford to keep their homes warm.

Older people and young families can be particularly at risk and often poorer people face higher fuel bills as they are forced to use pre-payment meters for their gas and electricity.

Should a family have to rely on blankets and hot drinks to keep warm?

Shutterstock. Phil co-founded Ebico Ltd and the Ebico Trust with the Revd Hugh Lee, an Energy Economist and a Minister in Secular Employment in the diocese.

Hugh is the Chairman of the Ebico Trust and remains a Director of Ebico Ltd having been the Chairman until June 2016.

Phil Levermore, a member of St Laurence's Church, Appleton in Oxfordshire, set up Ebico , a non-profit energy company, as well as the Ebico Trust, a charity devoted to battling fuel poverty.

He set both initiatives up with the Revd Hugh Lee, an Energy Economist and a Minister in Secular Employment in the Diocese.

Hugh is the Chairman of the Ebico Trust and remains a Director of Ebico Ltd having been the Chairman until June 2016. "We have given away over £1m.

We are a not-for-profit social enterprise.

Any surpluses go into the trust, which supports various projects that are helping to tackle fuel poverty in their communities. "We help people switch to a cheaper energy supplier and where they have built up debt help them to manage that or apply for grants to eliminate it.

At this time of"We help people switch to a cheaper energy supplier and where they have built up debt help them to manage that or apply for grants to eliminate it.

At this time of year it is getting colder and it is those over 75 who are more at risk of strokes and heart attacks if they are cold.

Elderly people tend to worry about the cost of things more than younger people. "Phil said Christians have a role to play in their communities.

"They can help older people to get through the winter happy and healthy.

Ice can be a major hazard for elderly folk.

When it's icy, can you help them avoid hazardous journeys? Can you help them get some food and take them some emergency lighting and long-life food for any time you can't get out to them? Can you organise a rota with your neighbours to help elderly folk when it gets cold?" Phil said older people shouldn't hesitate to turn their heating up.

"There are organisations that can help if people have financial difficulties. " Ebico also offers competitive tariffs for those who have to pay their fuel bills via pre-payment meters.

"We have prioritised getting the best deal we can as generally they are charged more and that's not fair. "Christians Against Poverty's The Poor Pay More report states that those using pre-payment meters are charged up to £250 extra per year than those paying by credit.

In the Foreword, Matt Barlow, CAP's UK Chief Executive states: "Yet this client group is poorer and likely to be more vulnerable.

For instance, 65 per cent of all clients with learning disabilities use a PPM to pay for their energy, compared to only 60 per cent of the UK as a whole." The report states that many on PPMs disconnect themselves, often not using heating for at least a week in the winter because they can't afford to top up their meter. "PPM users are forced to make impossible choices.

It is not uncommon for clients to have gone without heating for several years due to financial difficulty.

Seventy six per cent of those on a PPM have sacrificed meals before CAP's help. " The Children's Society's 2015 report, Show Some Warmth , revealed that up to 1. 3m UK families were living in energy debt, leaving homes cold and risking the health of children and their families.

The report stated: "Many families in energy debt cut back on heating their home.

As a result, children had to wear extra clothing at night to keep warm, or miss out on hot meals.

Evidence shows that this had an impact on children's health, with children in families that have struggled with energy debts considerably more likely to have been ill last winter than other children. "Earlier in 2016, the Society reported the success of a petition to get energy companies to make changes, that had led to changes including E. ON, Npower and Scottish Power to include 16 and 17-year-olds as a vulnerable group, which means they will be better supported.

Npower has also changed its telephone script to ask families experiencing financial difficulties if they have children living at home.

How does Ebico works and how can you check out if you are getting the best deal

by Ruth Hamilton JonesEbico supplies around 60,000 UK households.

The company, founded in 1998, has no shareholders, and customers pay only for the fuel they use: there are no standing charges.

Ebico does not give a discount to those who pay by direct debit, which is the form of payment usually used by those who do not suffer from fuel poverty. Typically, tariffs for those using prepayment meters are not competitive, which puts a subtle tax on the poor. It's an unusual venture, a social enterprise supplying fuel alongside the likes of British Gas and Npower.

Ebico partners with energy supplier SSE (known as Scottish and Southern Energy in the past) to deliver this service to customers. Profits from Ebico are given to projects that help people affected by fuel poverty, administered by the Ebico Trust. To see how competive Ebico's prices are , I used the Go Compare website, which was mercifully straightforward.

I was able to compare Ebico's prices with all other companies supplying gas and electricity in my area.

Something less easy to measure is the effect of having a voice for the poor when Ebico staff have a place alongside mainstream energy providers in the delivery of this vital service.

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Page last updated: Friday 24th May 2019 12:00 AM
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