UK Power Networks launched a four-year Enduring Partnership programme on 14 July 2026 with Community Energy Pathways and Hope4U, designed to help around 60,000 customers facing energy challenges1. The network operator said the initiative combines immediate assistance with longer-term solutions, helping households reduce costs, improve home efficiency and feel more in control of their energy use1.
A central element is support for customers to access grants for low carbon technologies, which the company says will improve the energy efficiency of their homes1. Customers will be signposted to available funding and receive ongoing support through the process, from initial advice through to installation where appropriate1. Across both partnerships, support includes practical guidance on managing energy use, financial support, benefits advice and grant funding opportunities1.
The two delivery partners work differently. Community Energy Pathways, an existing partner, continues a community-focused model working through a network of local groups, with engagement events in trusted community spaces, face-to-face advice, home visits and training for local Energy Champions1. Hope4U joins as a new partner with a national delivery model that combines scale with flexibility, primarily providing in-depth support through telephone and video appointments, complemented by home visits where additional help is needed1.
Jo Lomax, consumer vulnerability manager at UK Power Networks, said:
"By combining their expertise in community engagement and national delivery, we can reach more customers with the tailored support they need. These partnerships are key to helping vulnerable customers feel more confident managing their energy and ensuring no one is left behind in the transition to a more sustainable energy future."
Luke Arnold, director at Hope4U, said the partnership gives the organisation the opportunity to reach more households and offer reassurance when it is needed most1.
Why it matters for households
The programme is aimed at customers described as vulnerable or facing energy challenges, and its stated purpose is to address the root causes of fuel poverty1. For a household, the practical significance lies in the route it opens to grant funding for low carbon technologies, which covers measures that improve a home's energy efficiency1. That kind of funding sits alongside the wider landscape of home energy grants in England and the Energy Company Obligation, under which supplier-funded grants operate. Households in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate schemes, covered in the guides to home energy grants in Scotland, home energy grants in Wales and home energy grants in Northern Ireland.
The programme also covers benefits advice and financial support, which connects to the question of which benefits qualify you for energy grants and to crisis funds and hardship grants for households in debt. Because the support is delivered through local groups and national telephone or video appointments, it reaches people who may find it difficult to engage in person1. Energy independence for a household rests on the fabric of the home and on the running costs of the technologies installed in it; grant-funded efficiency measures and advice on managing energy use both bear on that, though the outcome for any individual home depends on its circumstances.
What happens next
The programme runs for four years from its launch on 14 July 20261. No further dates, eligibility criteria, application routes or funding amounts have been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- New partnerships deliver vital energy support to vulnerable households | UK Power Networks, ukpowernetworks.co.uk