Scarf’s partnership with Caledonia Housing Association (CHA) was first established in November 2022 to ensure all tenants had access to support from energy experts in the face of rising energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis.
Following positive engagement with tenants from this partnership, CHA launched the Big Energy Saving Week in January 2023. This included a national webinar and all-day drop-in sessions in Dundee, Perth and Cordale Housing Association’s office in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, to advise tenants on how to save money, manage energy bills and get financial support as well as tips on keeping their homes warm and comfortable.
The partnership has seen a significant response from tenants including:
- 283 Caledonia tenant referrals
- Provided over 2,600 pieces of advice which potentially creating over £39,000 worth of annual energy savings
- Supported applications to apply for energy debt assistance and helped cleared over £2,800 worth of debt
- Over 200 energy saving measures provided to households
- Over £3,000 worth of energy financial payments made to households
David Mackay, Co-CEO, Scarf, said: ‘Scarf are proud to partner with Caledonia Housing Association, and are delighted to be one of the many sources of support that Caledonia are able to offer their tenants.
‘We understand that during the cost-of-living-crisis money can be tight and we look to educate households to efficiently use their heating systems, to maximise their income, and to act as a support system with more complex heating/supplier issues. The Caledonia tenants have embraced our team, with the support we have offered leading to some really positive results, so we are looking forward to continuing this work.’
Tim Calderbank, Director of Customer Service, Caledonia Housing Association, said: ‘This additional funding is very welcome as it enables us to increase the capacity of a wide-ranging energy advice services and support to our tenants. We chose to partner with Scarf to test and measure the effectiveness of providing in-house advice and support services to our tenants in tackling fuel poverty. Given the uptake on the services, it’s clear that there is a significant demand for the services and CHA recognises that this will only increase as we move into the autumn and winter months. We are determined to continue strengthening our response to the ongoing cost of living crisis and work with Scarf to reduce poverty through embedding energy efficiency advice, support and advocacy within wider community support services.’
The Social Housing Fuel Support Fund of over £40,000 is provided by the Scottish Government and administered by Scottish Federation of Housing Associations until 31 March 2024.
