Member Article

Independent Energy Bill Management Service Calls on Government to do More to Support Those in Fuel Poverty

The founder of a ground-breaking not-for-profit energy bill management service, has welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement providing support for households likely to fall into fuel poverty. But respected energy consultant and Managing Director of CUBES, Jo Gilbert, is also calling for further measures from ministers to help the millions of customers struggling with soaring gas and electricity costs.

With over 20 years’ experience in the energy sector, Jo Gilbert is calling on the government for a longer-term strategy to better insulate housing in the UK and to improve EPC performance ratings of some of the UK’s worst affected properties to bring them to a C or above.

Commenting on Rishi Sunak’s package of measures to help the most vulnerable with the cost-of-living crisis, Jo Gilbert says, “I’d like to see a support package for households who are reliant on LPG, Oil and Coal for heating. These announced measures feel a lot like a short- term sticking plaster to deliver immediate help in terms of real cash. However, longer term more needs to be done on fitting solar panels, looking at battery storage and heat pumps and to end our reliance on fluctuating wholesale markets. I’d also like to see a means tested energy tariff for households who would be classed as fuel poor. There is still a long way to go to fully address fuel poverty.”

CUBES (Customer Utility Bills Expertly Serviced) is a subscription service, offering total management of accounts to save time, stress and in some cases, money. The service ensures that a customer’s account is in a ‘fit-to-bill’ state with a complete review and health check of the account with the existing supplier. It will also look to see whether a new tariff or supplier may be better, potentially making and managing all stages of a switch for them.

The company will continually monitor energy bills to ensure that customers are paying for the correct usage and will deal with any communications with suppliers.

Jo Gilbert adds, “We are taking a proactive approach with CUBES to stop issues from arising at source and deal with them instantly before the need to complain occurs. Saving the industry and consumers time, stress, and money. Consumers deserve better service than what they are getting right now, energy costs are rising whilst service has dropped massively, we will protect our members from issues like this.”

All of CUBES’ net profit will go to the Butterfly House Foundation, where the funding will go to create local centres and initiatives to support the most vulnerable.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nicola Rowley .