This collaborative project will look to directly address the desire to support customers in vulnerable situations by supporting and improving warm space infrastructure within the Yorkshire and North East regions of England. These regions have been selected based upon the geographical coverage of the associated Network Partnership’s licence areas.
Benefits
Immediate Outcomes
•Improved capacity of existing warm spaces to support vulnerable individuals.
•Enhanced knowledge and skills of warm space volunteers.
•Increased awareness and engagement of vulnerable customers with available support services.
Intermediate Outcomes
•Reduced instances of fuel poverty and cold-related illnesses among users of warm spaces.
•Greater community cohesion and social interaction through the use of warm spaces.
•Improved energy efficiency and cost savings for vulnerable households.
Long-term Outcomes
•Sustained reduction in fuel poverty rates in targeted regions.
•Increased resilience of vulnerable communities against socioeconomic challenges.
•Broader adoption of effective support models for vulnerable customers across other regions and sectors.
Impact
•Social Impact: The project aims to create a significant positive impact on the well-being of vulnerable individuals by providing safe, warm environments and reducing the adverse effects of fuel poverty. This includes improved health outcomes, reduced social isolation, and enhanced quality of life for those using the warm spaces.
•Economic Impact: By improving energy accessibility and reducing healthcare costs associated with cold-related illnesses, the project generates economic benefits both for individuals and the broader community.
•Environmental Impact: The project indirectly supports environmental sustainability by promoting energy efficiency practices among vulnerable households, leading to reduced energy consumption and lower carbon emissions.
Learnings
Outcomes
The project delivered clear and measurable outcomes across research, delivery and user impact. It successfully demonstrated that Warm Spaces are effective and trusted settings for delivering energy advice to consumers in vulnerable situations. Quantitatively, the project engaged with over 110 Warm Spaces during Phase 1, distributed energy advice literature to over 358 service users, and trained more than 130 professionals and volunteers to improve energy advice capability. Through the Open Doors Support Network, 30 organisations joined the network, with 15 receiving a full support package, including £27,000 of direct funding, over 40,000 energy advice documents, over 400 Winter Warmth Support Packs, and more than £1,000 in energy demonstrator items. These outputs led directly to increased organisational capacity to host energy advice sessions, distribute practical support, and make referrals into specialist services.
The project delivered tangible performance improvements for both organisations and service users. Warm Space personnel reported increased confidence in providing basic energy advice, improved awareness of referral pathways, and enhanced ability to host external advisers. Service users benefitted from accessible, face‑to‑face advice, resulting in reported behavioural changes such as more efficient use of heating, improved understanding of bills and tariffs, and successful access to financial support. The project enabled significant individual outcomes, including the resolution of energy debt and reduced financial stress. The Method progressed from an early‑stage concept of co‑locating advice within Warm Spaces to a tested and demonstrated delivery model.
The project also identified clear opportunities for future work. While capacity and confidence improved, Warm Spaces were not positioned to deliver complex energy advice independently, highlighting the importance of partnership‑based and referral‑led models. Future projects could build on this learning by extending support over longer periods, strengthening links with statutory and specialist providers, and testing scalable funding and coordination models. There is also clear potential to further develop Warm Spaces as trusted entry points for wider energy support, including priority services registration, fuel poverty interventions and longer‑term transition conversations, once immediate affordability needs have been addressed.
Lessons Learnt
1. Design delivery models around trusted, community‑led settings
Future projects should prioritise delivery through trusted local venues, such as Warm Spaces, with advice embedded into existing activities rather than delivered as standalone interventions. This approach improves accessibility, engagement and impact for people in vulnerable situations.
2. Focus on immediate user needs before longer‑term objectives
Projects should prioritise practical, short‑term support (e.g. affordability, heating use, financial assistance) as an entry point. Addressing immediate pressures builds trust and engagement, creating stronger foundations for future conversations on more complex or longer‑term energy topics.
3. Adopt proportionate, partnership‑based support models
Future initiatives should recognise varying levels of organisational capacity and avoid one‑size‑fits‑all approaches. Sustainable outcomes are best achieved through tailored support, strong referral pathways and ongoing partnerships with specialist providers, rather than expecting community organisations to deliver complex advice independently.
