Reducing Energy Bills - Kenny McKaig CAB Thursday November 22 2018 @18.00

Reducing Energy Bills -  Kenny Mckaig CAB Thursday November 22 2018 @18.00

ENERGY BEST DEAL

At the Club on Thursday, Kenny McKaig from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) spoke about his work as an adviser on the use (or misuse) of energy.  He was accompanied by Megan McFadden, a social work student on placement.

Having spent sixteen years as an area manager for the planning and installation of CCTV, Kenny decided on a career move. He spent some time as a volunteer before taking up his current post with CAB, running the fuel poverty project.  In that role, he gives talks to groups, regularly runs a two-hour fuel surgery in the three Stirling food banks, and also advises on a one-to-one.  With 13,000 people in Stirlingshire in fuel poverty, it is no surprise that the project is kept busy.  To date, Kenny’s role has resulted in savings for clients amounting to some £2 million. This work, he emphasized, is funded by CAB, a charity that relies on support from the community, both financial and by way of volunteering

To highlight the sort of advice that may be needed, Kenny asked members to guess the extent of savings that some fairly simple actions can achieve.  Most striking was that by changing from conventional bulbs to LED technology, a saving of 92 per cent of the cost of lighting in the house can be achieved.  Lowering the heating thermostat by only one degree can achieve an annual saving of £85 without any noticeable difference in comfort.  

A vital part of Kenny’s work is seeking to establish and define in detail the fundamental problems presented to him in homes where the cost of energy has become a real burden.  The ability to analyse the steps to reduce energy consumption, and to advise on ways of implementing these, is at the heart of his work.  In one remarkable instance, Kenny reported on a household that had built up a very sizeable bill that, on the evidence, seemed totally disproportionate. It transpired that the meter on which the bill was based, was actually in a different (and bigger) building. Problem solved, much to the relief of the householders. 

One major element where advice is regularly sought is the choice of energy suppliers.  This can be an area where people are uncertain how best to go about making a change; and they can face an array of potential charges difficult to understand.  Websites such as energycompare.citizensadvice.org.uk can offer a path through these potential uncertainties.

Following a number of questions from members, Graham Russell, Speaker’s Host, thanked Kenny for the very valuable insights he had given on this often complicated topic.  The talk, he was sure, had been of both interest and value, and he wished Kenny well in his continuing work.