The things people usually ask us

Energy Confidence Dorset is a free service for older people in North, South and West Dorset. A trained energy support worker from Age UK North, South & West Dorset helps you keep your home warm, understand your bills, and feel more confident about your heating.

The service works with your smart meter, so you need one to take part, and we can help you get one if you do not have one.

It runs for 18 months from autumn 2026 and is delivered by Age UK North, South & West Dorset, working with LDS Consultancy, a technology firm based in the South West.

No. Everything is free: the phone calls, the home visit, and any small improvements our handyperson fits. Nobody will ever ask you for money or bank details.

Older people living in North, South and West Dorset, including Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland, Bridport, Sherborne, Blandford, Gillingham, Shaftesbury and the villages around them.

You do not need to be on benefits, and you do not need to be an Age UK client already. You do need a smart meter, and we can help you get one if you do not have one. If you are not sure whether you qualify, please call and ask. If you are worried about an older relative, friend or neighbour, you can call on their behalf.

No. We are not an energy company, and we do not sell anything. We will never ask you to sign up to a supplier, buy a product, or hand over card or bank details.

If anyone contacts you claiming to be from Energy Confidence Dorset and asks for money, put the phone down or close the door, and call us on the number on this website to check.

No. Energy Confidence Dorset is independent of all energy suppliers. Our energy support workers can help you understand your bills, and can help you get in touch with your supplier if something needs sorting out.

It depends on what would make the biggest difference for you. Most people get some or all of the following:

• A friendly chat by phone about your heating, your bills and any worries.
• A home visit from a qualified energy support worker, who will look at how your home is heated and suggest simple changes.
• Small improvements fitted for free by our handyperson, such as draught-proofing, radiator valves and low-energy light bulbs.
• Telling you about extra support that exists, such as Pension Credit, the Warm Home Discount or the Winter Fuel Payment, and putting you in touch with the team who handle it.
• Help getting in touch with your energy supplier if something needs sorting out.

An energy support worker will arrange a time that suits you and come to your home. They will carry Age UK identification, and you are welcome to call us to check before you let them in.

The visit usually takes about an hour. They will look at your heating controls and thermostat, your windows, doors and lighting, talk through how you use your heating, and suggest simple changes. If small improvements would help, they can arrange for our handyperson to fit them on a later visit. Nothing is done without your say so.

Yes. Plenty of people prefer to talk on the phone, and we also hold appointments at Age UK offices and community venues around the area. Just tell us what you would prefer when you call.

Yes. Our energy support workers hold, or are completing, the NEA and City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Energy Awareness, and all staff who visit homes are DBS checked and trained in safeguarding.

Not at all. Everything can be done by landline telephone, by post or in person. This website is here for anyone who finds it useful, but nobody needs it to get help.

Yes, and we can help you get one.

Energy Confidence Dorset works with your smart meter, so you need one to take part. If you do not have one, your energy support worker can help you arrange a free fitting with your energy supplier. It costs you nothing.

Once it is in, we ask you to sign a consent form so they can see how much energy your home uses over time. That helps them spot if your home is running colder than it should, and check in with you rather than waiting for you to call. Agreeing to this is part of taking part.

If you would rather not, please still phone us. Age UK North, South & West Dorset has other ways to help.

No, never. We can only see your meter readings after you have signed a consent form. The form says exactly what we will look at, what it is for, and how to stop. Nothing is switched on until you have signed.

Signing it is part of joining the service, so if you would rather not, we cannot sign you up, and we will point you to other help from Age UK North, South & West Dorset instead. If you do sign and then change your mind, you can withdraw at any time by phone or in writing, and we stop straight away.

Age UK North, South & West Dorset looks after your details in the same careful way it does for all its services. Your information is only used to give you energy support and to show how well the service is working.

Your meter readings are collected through a secure, regulated service and stored on computers in the United Kingdom. They are never sold, never shared with your energy supplier without your permission, and never used to make decisions about benefits or care.

You can ask to see what we hold, ask us to correct it, or ask us to stop, at any time. There is more on our privacy page.

Yes. Just call or write to us and we will stop. We switch the meter monitoring off and confirm to you in writing that it has stopped.

Because the monitoring is part of the service, stopping it also ends your place on the programme. You keep anything already fitted in your home, and you are always welcome to other help from Age UK North, South & West Dorset.

We ask a few questions when you join and again later on, about how warm your home feels and how confident you are with your heating and bills. It takes a few minutes, the energy support worker can do it with you, and it helps us show whether the service is really making a difference. It also helps other charities learn from what works.

The easiest way is to phone. The number is at the top of every page. You can also email energyconfidence@ageuknswd.org.uk, or write to Age UK North, South & West Dorset, Units 1 and 2, 5 Crown Square, Dorchester, DT1 3EN.

If you have no heating or hot water and you are cold, please tell us straight away when you call and we will treat it as urgent. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 immediately. If you feel unwell because of the cold, call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.