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30 | DECEMBER 2020 | UTILITY WEEK Customers Interview F or Adam Scorer, the chief executive of National Energy Action (NEA), every winter presents immense challenges in tackling the issue of fuel poverty. Currently around four million people in the UK are estimated to be fuel poor and research published by Citizens Advice in August suggested that around 2.8 mil- lion customers have fallen behind on at least one energy bill during the pandemic. Ever since lockdown last March, the energy sec- tor has been battling to protect the most vulnerable consumers, with a package of measures swily agreed between government and retailers to ensure they are kept on supply. Scorer believes suppliers need to be more proactive in identifying and reaching out to cus- tomers who are likely to face difficulties with their bills to make them aware of support available. He also warns that the sector must not assume all of this contact can be done digitally, with an estimated nine million people not able to access the internet competently. He acknowledges the difficulties utilities face in engaging with those most in need. NEA has been work- ing to build the capacity of energy suppliers, as well as community groups, local authorities and health services to signpost vulnerable customers. Scorer believes the coronavirus pandemic has pro- vided a "moment" of awareness of what it means to have a warm home. In addition, he believes the challenges of hitting the 2050 net zero target are also highlighting the need for improved housing. He says: "Both Covid and net zero should super- charge awareness of what it means to have a good home, a warm home, the systemic health, economic and other benefits of people living in warm homes. They are aligned and people are at pains to talk about fair transi- tions, just transitions and focusing on the public health aspect of it. "While they are aligned, they are not the same and they could easily become detached. The challenge is to recognise it, not just in rhetorical way, but include it in the language of response to Covid and fuel poverty." "I think Covid is a moment full of the possibility of understanding all those things together, but it's so much easier to say it than to sustain it as you struggle with all the moving parts in the public health and the net zero agenda," he adds. Among the many discussions about how best to alleviate fuel poverty has been the potential of a shared priority services register (PSR). Electricity North West and United Utilities trialled such a scheme in 2018, but plans to roll out a common register nationwide in April this year were delayed. More recently, Auriga Services, a subsidiary of Severn Trent Trust Fund, said it expects to launch a nationwide portal to share information about vulnerable customers later this year. Scorer points to several reasons why a shared PSR would be a major benefit to vulnerable consumers. "The data-sharing aspect is crucial because what we know is that people, for a whole bunch of reasons, are ashamed to come forward and identify as vulnerable. If they can get up the courage to say it once, don't make them say it again," he says. He also says that not all utilities have the same level of engagement with consumers as energy retailers do, therefore wider sharing of data across the eco-system of utilities would allow help to be administered at the earli- est possible stage. He admits, however, that there is a "big obstacle" in the way of achieving this goal, and that is fear about data protection. "There is a tension between the data protection movement and the consumer benefit move- ment, but there must be a way of doing it because the prize is so big for vulnerable consumers," he says. Adam John, reporter "Both Covid and net zero should supercharge awareness of what it means to have a warm home." Adam Scorer, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NATIONAL ENERGY ACTION