Pembrokeshire FRAME has secured funding from Wales & West Utilities to run a two-year energy support project for more than 5,000 residents across the county, the gas emergency and pipeline service announced on 5 August 20261. The money comes from Wales & West Utilities' Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) and builds on earlier support that saw the charity recruit community fuel champions1.
The charity said the funding responds to rising numbers of people in the area facing fuel poverty, energy insecurity and poor housing conditions1. The project will offer community-based support on managing rising energy costs, raise awareness of the Priority Services Register (PSR) and carbon monoxide safety, and signpost residents to advice and assistance1. It also aims to address rural isolation and digital exclusion, which the announcement describes as barriers to people finding support services1.
Frank Farrer, Project Manager at Pembrokeshire FRAME, said the funding would go directly to some of the county's most vulnerable residents, naming older people, carers, disabled and neurodiverse individuals, families in crisis, and people leaving hospital or experiencing homelessness1.
"Thanks to this funding, we are able to expand our reach and raise awareness of energy efficiency to tackle fuel poverty among vulnerable households across Pembrokeshire."
Wales & West Utilities has £19.2m to spend through the VCMA between April 2026 and March 2031 on projects supporting consumers in vulnerable situations and raising awareness of carbon monoxide risks1. Of that total, 72% is to be invested in projects within its own network area, at least 25% will support collaborative projects with the other gas networks in England and Scotland, and a minimum of 3% is ring-fenced for cross-utilities work with organisations such as electricity, water and telecommunications providers2. The company transports gas through more than 35,000 kilometres of pipes and says it delivers energy to over 7.5 million people across Wales and the south west of England1.
The announcement did not state the value of the grant to Pembrokeshire FRAME, nor the number of staff or advisers the project will employ; those figures have not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The project targets households that are least likely to reach help on their own, including people in rural parts of Pembrokeshire where distance and poor digital access can keep support out of reach1. For a household, the practical offer is advice rather than a payment: help understanding energy costs, awareness of the Priority Services Register, which gas and electricity suppliers use to record customers who need extra help, and carbon monoxide safety information1. Wales & West Utilities frames the PSR and carbon monoxide work as safety measures, noting that anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 9991.
Community-level advice of this kind sits alongside the wider landscape of home energy grants and schemes in the UK and home energy grants in Wales, and is one route through which community energy projects and community energy funding reach households. For a home's energy independence, the value lies in knowing what support exists, what it costs and who to ask, particularly where a household has not previously engaged with any scheme.
What happens next
The project is to run for two years from the announcement, with no start or end date given beyond that1. Wales & West Utilities' VCMA spending runs from April 2026 to March 2031, and the company invites project ideas from organisations, alone or in partnership, at VCMA@wwutilities.co.uk2.