“It’s changed my life & given me back my independence” – Jonny’s Story

Jonny is in his 50’s and lives alone in Middleton, Rochdale. He found out about Groundwork’s Green Doctor Energyworks support via a referral from Rochdale Council. The Energywork’s team called him and arranged for a suitable time for a home visit by our Green Doctor advisor, Shammy. As a wheelchair user who is often restricted to his home, we were keen to see Jonny as quickly as possible to ensure his home was safe and warm.

When Shammy visited Jonny she found out more about his energy challenges. Jonny was on a pre-pay tariff which he relied on his daughter to keep topped up for him. Pre-pay tariffs are one of the more expensive ways to pay for energy so Shammy shared advice and helped him get set up on a Direct Debit and using a smart meter to monitor his energy use habits.

In addition, Shammy discovered that Jonny’s electric meter was outside on the neighbour’s wall and his gas meter was so low down he couldn’t access it. Shammy helped Jonny to contact his energy supplier to see if they would move the meters, however they were unable to help.

Shammy chatted with the Groundwork team about what could be done to help and they were able to find funding to get Jonny’s meters moved to a more convenient location.

Groundwork’s Green Doctor support has empowered Jonny, giving him more independence and choice relating to heating his home.

*Name changed and stock photo used to keep identity anonymous