Tighean Innse Gall helps 100 homes in the Outer Hebrides save over £61,500 in energy costs
As of June 2024 Tighean Innse Gall (TIG) has helped 100 homes across the Outer Hebrides replace their broken or incorrect electricity meters, saving local people more than £61,500.
TIG began working to facilitate meter changes on behalf of clients in 2021 in partnership with SSE Energy Services (since then, SSE has become part of the OVO Energy brand). However, replacements and exchanges were abruptly stopped because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The only SSE engineer on the island was also impacted by restrictions, and the community was left with no direct link to energy services.
In January 2023 the metering project began again in earnest. A close working relationship was established between a very small team within SSE and TIG which further strengthened already effective lines of communication between the two organisations. TIG provided support and insight into the challenges unique to local communities which allowed SSE to strategically direct resources.
Martha MacLeod, fuel poverty officer at TIG, said: “As the number of meter change enquiries were increasing week on week, it was important to start up work again with SSE. By doing so we were able to smoothly facilitate the metering appointments on behalf of the clients, reducing the burden on them and easing anxieties.”
“We were also able to re-issue expired Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers during this project, which our clients had been unable to redeem due to their broken meters. This, alongside other assessments and the total from the prepayment meter free vend (where the meter still provides electricity to the home without needing to be topped-up), amounted to a combined householder saving of over £61,500.”
David Morrison, a TIG client, said: “Once TIG became involved I didn’t need to do anything. This alleviated the stress I had been under, and we received the meter much quicker. They came highly recommended and now, since using the service myself, I continue to highly recommend TIG to others.”
If you need help with a metering issue or meter change, get in touch by telephone at 01851 706121 or email at info@tighean.co.uk.