We support people who are struggling to keep warm at home or unable to afford their energy bills.

Our team help people by providing

• Skilled advice and support
  Our trained team provide highly skilled, in-depth, tailored advice to people in cold homes and in crisis. We provide expert energy advice, including helping people understand how to use their heating systems properly, how they can use less electricity and gas to save money, understanding their energy bills and how to avoid issues of damp and mould, which is a high priority for the council.
• Income maximisation
  Our advisors support with guidance on managing debt and accessing benefits and we can signpost people to the most appropriate support for their circumstances. We help people make savings wherever they can. This also includes accessing water schemes to save money on water bills.

Supporting the most vulnerable people in Bristol

In over ten years of Bristol TEA, we’ve saved local people hundreds of thousands of pounds through switching tariffs, clearing fuel debt, accessing benefits and applying for rebates and fuel vouchers.

Speaking about the project, Jamie Walters of CSE says;

Bristol City Council is taking the issues of fuel poverty, energy efficiency and the climate emergency seriously. We are delighted that they are continuing to fund us to provide provide advice and support for Bristol tenants until at least December 2026.

Through our work on TEA, we have the ability to reach and engage with some of the most vulnerable people in our local area and we tailor advice and support to meet each individual’s specific set of circumstances.

Tenants call our advice line or are referred to us by the council’s own housing officers or another support agency like Citizens Advice or a local foodbank. We offer telephone advice (including in languages other than English), digital or printed information, home visits and ongoing support where needed.

Meeting tenants where they are

We’re proactive with our advice by promoting the service to Bristol council tenants in their local area. We’ve met tenants at advice drop-ins, local housing forums, family fun days and even breakfast clubs.

Supporting the aims of Bristol City Council

Through the TEA project, CSE has supported Bristol City Council in the delivery of numerous planned programmes and strategic objectives. including engaging with tenants to promote the council’s programme of heating system improvements; making referrals for free loft and cavity wall insulation; evaluating a pilot of Dimplex Quantum as an alternative to conventional night storage heaters and evaluating tenants’ experience of having air source heat pumps installed in their homes.

From 2025 there is going to be a particular focus for TEA on two key council objectives; engaging with tenants who have had a renewable heating technology installed in their homes and with smart energy advice.

Jamie Walters says;

We’re excited to be working with the council to help tenants get the most out of low carbon retrofit like heat pumps. Ensuring that Bristol tenants don’t get left behind in the transition to a smart energy grid is an aim we at CSE share. We have significantly increased our expertise in this area and look forward to providing smart energy advice to people living in council homes.

We also provide trigger training to council teams so they can spot the signs of fuel poverty when they visit tenants’ homes and make appropriate referrals to TEA.

Meeting the needs of tenants

If tenants have self-disconnected from their energy supply due to financial worries, have built up energy debt or are simply struggling to afford their bills in the face of rising energy prices, CSE can advise them on managing their energy use, negotiate an affordable repayment plan and in some cases access trust funds to help clear debt.

To support people to use their heating efficiently, we have a range of how-to videos based on heating controls installed in Bristol council properties. Access them from our heating controls page.

Where our advisors spot damp and condensation issues in tenants’ homes they can offer behavioural advice to improve the situation or alert the council where improvements to insulation or ventilation are needed.

These services are helping to improve the financial situation of tenants and create warmer, healthier homes.