Npower officially launched its fuel bank trial in Gloucester yesterday.
The Gloucester Food Bank will be able to give vouchers to people who use the foodbank to help those who are disconnecting electricity and gas supplies because they can’t afford to pay their bills.
The electricity supplier will give credits worth £49 under a three-month trial in Gloucester, stomach in partnership with charities the Trussell Trust and Durham Christian Partnership, as well as National Energy Action.
Placed in existing food banks, npower’s Fuel Banks will help households using pre-payment meters, whether they are npower customers or use another energy supplier. People can visit a participating food bank and receive a £49 credit which they can use to top up their gas and electricity meter. This will enable households that have run out of energy to get the power back on within a few hours and keep the lights and heating on for up to two weeks.
The npower Fuel Bank have been launched specifically to address the problem of households who ‘self-disconnect’ in order to save money. Research conducted by Citizens Advice found that one in every six homes that use a prepayment meter has self-disconnected, meaning up to 1.62 million people go without electricity or gas each year.
Matthew Cole, npower’s Head of Policy & Obligations, said: “Through our longstanding Health through Warmth programme and our partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, npower has worked hard to help our most vulnerable customers. However, we are keen to do more and this new trial with food banks could be an important breakthrough. It will provide immediate and hassle free support to households where often the choice is between food or warmth.”
David McAuley, Chief Executive of the Trussell Trust, said:“We are pleased to be partnering with npower in creating the nation’s first Fuel Bank. In many cases people coming to food banks can be facing financial hardship that leaves them both hungry and in fuel poverty. By providing npower Fuel Bank vouchers at food banks, we can make sure that people who are most vulnerable are not only given three days’ food, but can turn on the energy supply to cook it and heat their homes too. The Trussell Trust is working hard to create more and more business partnerships like npower Fuel Banks which help people in crisis.”
Jenny Saunders, Chief Executive of National Energy Action, said: “We often talk about the choice between heating or eating to describe the challenges people of low incomes face in balancing their household budgets. We will be helping some of the most vulnerable in our society to have both food and heat at a time of crisis.”