Fuel poverty remains a significant challenge, creating barriers to stable, healthy lives. At the Wise Group, we recognise that a warm, safe home is not a luxury – it’s a fundamental right. Through our third service innovation, HEAT 3.0, we’ve renewed our commitment to tackling fuel poverty while supporting a just transition to a net zero future.
Our Relational Mentoring approach places people at the heart of their home energy journey. By providing tailored support – whether that’s through fuel poverty vouchers, advice on energy efficiency, or guidance on low-carbon technologies – we don’t just help households survive; we empower them to thrive.
The HEAT 3.0 Approach
HEAT 3.0 is designed to reflect the evolving social, economic, and environmental landscape. However, fuel poverty is not an isolated issue – it is a subset of poverty, deeply intertwined with broader financial insecurity. Tackling fuel poverty requires more than immediate relief; it demands a long-term, sustainable, and holistic approach to addressing poverty at its roots.
Our focus is threefold:
- Fuel Poverty Solutions
Supporting vulnerable households by addressing energy crises, providing income maximisation, and resolving billing or energy debt issues. These interventions are vital to ensuring homes are warm, safe, and affordable to run. - Energy Efficiency Solutions
Helping households in cold, poorly insulated homes to access grants and schemes for insulation and energy-efficient technologies. By adopting a fabric-first approach, we ensure that households reduce their energy costs while benefiting from sustainable improvements. - Net Zero Low Carbon Solutions
Engaging communities most at risk of being left behind in the energy transition. Through advice and hands-on support, we help households adopt renewable energy sources like solar panels and low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps.
While these efforts are vital, cash-first approaches alone do not alleviate poverty in the long term. A collective opportunity exists to adopt a more strategic and investment-driven approach to poverty reduction—one built on a social contract between government, industry, and communities. Unfortunately, short-sighted decisions and underinvestment have meant these opportunities, and the compound gains they could deliver, are being lost.
A holistic, long-term strategy that integrates social value for money and systemic reform is essential to significantly reduce poverty levels in Scotland and beyond.
The Future Workforce: Green Jobs and a Just Transition
Scotland’s ambition to become a clean energy leader hinges on a workforce equipped to deliver on net zero commitments. At the Wise Group, we believe the energy transition must go hand in hand with social equity.
That’s why we are focused on creating opportunities for people in underserved communities to participate in and benefit from the growth of green jobs.
Building on our Relational Mentoring model, we are working in partnership to:
- Train individuals in green skills, such as retrofitting and renewable energy installations.
- Foster community-based employment by supporting local authorities and private sector partners to deliver energy efficiency programmes.
- Promote energy equity, ensuring vulnerable households benefit from the economic opportunities of net zero, not just the wealthiest.
Our work supports the government’s priorities of improving energy efficiency, reducing bills, and creating green jobs. By aligning with Ofgem’s focus on enabling infrastructure for net zero and ensuring vulnerable consumers are protected, HEAT 3.0 is a leader in delivering real, measurable impact across the energy landscape.
However, we urge policymakers, industry leaders, and community organisations to look beyond short-term interventions. Addressing fuel poverty and advancing net zero must be part of a larger, coordinated effort to tackle poverty as a whole. Without a long-term vision, we risk leaving the most vulnerable households behind in the energy transition.
Building a Greener, Fairer Future
HEAT 3.0 is more than a service – it’s a movement. By transforming lives through tailored energy support, empowering communities to participate in the green transition, and driving the creation of green jobs, we’re helping to build a future where no one is left behind.
Yet, to truly move the needle, we need visionary strategies and meaningful investment that prioritise long-term solutions over quick fixes. Tackling fuel poverty cannot be separated from the broader mission to address poverty and inequality.
It’s not just about warming homes – it’s about transforming lives, empowering communities, and driving sustainable change for generations to come.
We’re keen to hear from organisations who share our vision and want to explore collaborative efforts for more impactful outcomes.
Get in touch at jessica_chan@thewisegroup.co.uk to join us in building a greener, fairer future.
