Wales & West Utilities prides itself on keeping the gas flowing to homes and businesses and serving a population of 7.5million people. We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to working with our trusted partners to provide energy safeguarding support to vulnerable consumers in the communities we serve.

The Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) is a prime example of how we reach out to our communities to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and to support those who are in or at risk of Fuel Poverty.

Our partners have seen a significant rise in customers seeking advice and support in terms of energy affordability die to the cost-of-living crisis. Through partnership working we have been able to respond effectively and make a real difference to people’s lives offering real support and benefits.

Over the last two and a half years, we have invested £3,992,626, directly supported more than 52,000 households and issued 9,425 CO alarms by working with partners covering Wales and South West England. Through the advocacy support our partners provide, we have seen savings of over £7m for our customers.

Collaboration is the key for the successes of our initiatives and we work closely with partners across our region and with other gas networks across the UK. We are proud to be working with partners such as Care & Repair, National Energy Action, Kidney Care UK, Maggie’s Cancer Trust and Warm Wales among others. We also have collaborative projects in place with other partnership organisations including Citizens Advice, Marie Curie, Fuel Bank Foundation and NSPCC and by working in collaboration with the other gas networks we can support a wider UK footprint.

The VCMA allows us to go the extra mile for our customers, building upon our proud track record of supporting our communities and providing inclusive services. The partnerships we have developed with organisations and our fellow gas networks are already making huge differences to those struggling to pay their bills, increasing energy efficiency, and making sure customers are safe in their homes, no longer at risk of carbon monoxide effects.

You can read about the VCMA projects and case studies in our latest annual report. There is also a collaborative report which highlights the work we have done together as a group of gas networks, which can be found here.

We are passionate about the important role we play and, as a responsible business, we will be focused on growing our partnerships, our skills and our reach to really make a difference to those who need it.

If you have a project in mind that you think could benefit those living in rural communities, please email us at VCMA@wwutilities.co.uk or visit our website.