Vulnerable Customers: The London Warm Zone

The EDF Energy London Warm Zone was set up in 2001 with an initial pilot in the London Borough of Newham. It represents an innovative approach to both tackling fuel poverty and delivering the company's EEC obligations.

The approach traditionally taken by energy providers in achieving their EEC obligations has been passive – offering people the chance to take advantage of energy saving measures. The Warm Zone approach is more proactive – actively seeking out those most at need. Indeed, it is only through the Warm Zone's process of doorstep assessments that fuel poor households can be identified with real certainty. The approach rolls a number of initiatives into one: investing in domestic energy efficiency measures, investing in heating improvements and assessing benefit claims to identify additional financial support for households.

EDF Energy's pilot project, carried out in the east London Borough of Newham, has already resulted in nearly 70,000 homes being assessed, representing over 70% of the borough’s households. Heating or insulating equipment will have been installed in 12,000 homes, and 27 jobs for the long-term unemployed have been created. Warm Zone workers have also helped residents to obtain tens of thousands of pounds in new or additional annual benefits.

Since the start of the pilot project, levels of fuel poverty have been reduced by 19% and 91.6 GWh of energy has been saved, with an annual CO₂ saving of 23,000 tonnes.

Following the success of the pilot Newham Warm Zone, the initiative is now being rolled out across London, first with six additional east London boroughs and with more joining in 2006.