Ms Ruth Buggie:

We must recognise that the SECs are volunteers who do not get paid for the work they do. We offer a whole host of training courses that people can participate in either through their mentor or directly online with ourselves. We hope that a few of those will come out soon. We also host things like energy clinics where people can drop in with any queries they have. One of our communities set up something they called Watt Watchers. It is a bit like Weight Watchers but you come in with your energy bill and understand how to reduce your watt usage each month to try and overcome the challenges of people not understanding their bill or what to expect when they get their next bill. We do a lot of education around that side of it to help people to address the concerns they may have. That local conversation around energy questions that people have and giving advice is there. I believe we participated in a recent campaign around energy saving opportunities in light of the recent price increases. We have upgraded the level of information through a new booklet to help people as well. They are all freely available through our communities and through any other sources or events that we participate in. We are very conscious that the change has come in people's minds about the challenges that will face us in the coming winter.