The Cadent Foundation, the charitable arm of gas distribution network Cadent, released its annual Impact Report, "Working together for a future without fuel poverty", in June 2024, five years after its launch in 20191. The report covers grants awarded throughout 2023, totalling more than £3.3 million, and states that the Foundation has awarded over £25 million in charitable grants since it began1.
During 2023, the report says Foundation projects delivered £5,614,046 in financial gains from income maximisation support, 33,799 energy efficiency measures installed such as draught proofing, £1,129,182 in cost savings through energy efficiency measures or advice, and 5,827 homes becoming more energy efficient1. It also records 4,231 people receiving income maximisation and debt advice, and £4,479,472 of debt managed or written off1. The Foundation says its projects operate in the most deprived areas of the UK and supported over 35,000 people living in vulnerable situations during the year1.
Ranjit Blythe, Managing Director of the Cadent Foundation, said:
"The impact we have been able to drive over the past five years has far exceeded the expectations we initially set ourselves. But, while we are all incredibly proud of the work we've done with our charity partners to support people living in the most vulnerable situations across the UK, we know there is still so much more to do, with over six million people still living in fuel poverty."
Among the named programmes, the Foundation launched its first Winter Support Fund in November 2023, which it says injected over £2m into communities1. In September 2023 it began a two-year partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, through which RNIB expects to reach an additional 10,000 people with financial and energy efficiency guidance, with some potentially gaining more than £3,000 a year in income1. A 12-month pilot with Citizens Advice funded specialist caseworkers giving energy efficiency advice and support to residents with complex issues1. A partnership with the Renewal Programme in Newham, which the report describes as having the highest rate of fuel poverty in London, launched the "Stay Warm" initiative and trained more than 15 community energy champions1.
The Foundation's largest partnership, with Groundwork, funded the Green Doctor programme from 2020 and supported more than 10,000 households, delivering over £1.2m of annual cost savings to residents1. The initial phase concluded in 2023, and at the start of 2024 a new three-year agreement was announced with an additional £6m grant to extend the programme, alongside plans for a Green Doctors Academy1.
| 2023 reported outcome | Figure |
|---|---|
| Funding awarded | Over £3.3 million |
| People supported | Over 35,000 |
| Financial gains from income maximisation | £5,614,046 |
| Energy efficiency measures installed | 33,799 |
| Cost savings through measures or advice | £1,129,182 |
| Homes made more energy efficient | 5,827 |
| People receiving income maximisation and debt advice | 4,231 |
| Debt managed or written off | £4,479,472 |
Why it matters for households
The figures describe support delivered through charities rather than through the energy market itself: advice, income maximisation, debt write-off and physical measures such as draught proofing1. For a household in fuel poverty, that combination can lower bills directly and increase income, which is the practical route to using less energy and owing less. The report does not set out eligibility rules, referral routes or how a household would access any of these programmes, and it does not say which areas received support beyond the most deprived areas of the UK and the named Newham project1. The Foundation's own framing is that over six million people remain in fuel poverty1.
What happens next
The Foundation says the next phase of its growth includes launching a "Cadent Foundation Community Fund", becoming the official charitable partner of Cadent, and giving over 6,000 colleagues the opportunity to support and fundraise for local good causes1. It states an aim to double the number of people supported over the next five years1. Blythe said a key part of the evolution will see the Foundation "becoming a charitable partner in our own right"1. No dates beyond the start of 2024 for the Groundwork extension have been reported1.