Permanent park home residents across England, Scotland and Wales who do not have a direct account with their energy supplier can apply for a £150 payment to help towards their energy costs. The Charis Park Homes Warm Home Discount is an Ofgem regulated, multi-supplier initiative which this year is being generously funded by E.ON Next.

There are an estimated 110,000 park home residential addresses across England, Scotland and Wales. Demographically, these residents, who pay site owners for their electricity usage, are primarily elderly and retired. They are often on restricted incomes and have, in the past, missed out on financial support. Many park homes can also be badly insulated, and residents are often running older, energy inefficient electrical appliances due to a lack of money to replace them with more efficient models. Subsequently, the Park Homes Warm Home Discount can be a lifeline for many individuals and their families who may be spending the winter months at risk of cold home related illnesses due to fuel poverty.

Charis director of client services, Jonathan Hunt, said: “Traditionally, off grid residents, such as those living in park homes, have missed out on much needed financial support due to a lack of good, accessible communications and a lack of understanding about the way in which energy hardship support systems can work if you do not have a direct relationship with your energy supplier.

“We are beginning to understand just how many of these residents have missed out on the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) payments last year. According to a government report, 42,000 park home households have been recorded as receiving the EBSS payment, suggesting that approximately 68,000 households missed out. Which begs the question - why?

“In 2015, Charis was approached by Ofgem to create a scheme which directly targeted Park Home residents. The result was the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme, which is now in its eighth year. Currently, we have half a million pounds worth of payments for England and Wales, and almost £200,000 specifically for Scotland. We are also in active discussions with other energy suppliers, distributors and indeed any organisations interested in helping to alleviate UK fuel poverty, to add to the overall pot and ensure that as many park home residents can access hardship support as possible.”

Eligibility criteria apply. Applicants need to be permanently living in a park home, and either receive government support or benefits, or have a household income below £18,723.

Charis has partnered with Lightning Reach, a recently launched online application portal designed to simplify and speed up the application process for individuals suffering from financial hardship.

Lightning Reach helps people to find and apply for a range of financial support in one place, quickly and safely. You may also get matched to a range of support suited to your profile and circumstances. This could include grants from charities, funding from your local council and help with your bills.

The application process is a simple form filling exercise that should take about 15 minutes. Residents who are unsure about filling in forms online should seek the help of a friend or relative, or they can contact the Charis support team available during normal working hours.

Due to the limited nature of the funding, applications are assessed on a first come, first served basis, and once all funding is allocated, the scheme will be closed.