Handling communication challenges to provide advice
Vera's Story
Vera was referred to ALIenergy by a local charity while moving into a new property. Vera, who is deaf, faced significant barriers, including being unable to set up new energy accounts, not knowing who supplied energy to the new property and being unfamiliar with how to find this information. At the time, she was not on the Priority Services Register (PSR) and had no white goods for her new home. Additionally, she was aware that the property was equipped with credit meters, which she found unmanageable as she had always used pre-payment meters and preferred this arrangement. Vera was also uncertain about which energy tariff to choose for her new accounts.
Initial Support and Assessment
To address the issues, ALIenergy arranged a house visit with a signing interpreter present. During this visit, the Affordable Warmth Advisor was able to determine which energy company supplied the new property and added Vera to the PSR. In addition, our advisor collected the necessary documentation to support an application for white goods.
Financial Gain
As a result of this support, ALIenergy successfully secured a new washing machine, air fryer, and microwave for Vera. These appliances were greatly appreciated, especially since Vera did not intend to use the large oven in the property.
Communication Solutions and the Role of "Relay"
After Vera moved into her new home, a second house visit was arranged, again with the interpreter present. Since only the account holder can open new energy accounts due to contractual requirements, ALIenergy utilised the ‘Relay’ service during this process. Relay functions as a three-way communication tool: it converts a client’s responses from text to speech for the supplier and relays the supplier’s spoken responses as text for the client. This service is recognised and accepted by energy suppliers as a trusted intermediary and enabled effective communication to allow an account to be setup.
Meter Conversion and Ongoing Benefits
The meters in the new property were outdated and could not be converted to pre-payment meters immediately. As energy accounts typically require 48 hours to be fully set up, a smart meter installation appointment was scheduled for a later date. The smart meter was installed and then converted to a pre-payment meter at Vera's request.