Universal Registration Document 2020

In the United Kingdom, the indicator published by the public authorities showed the country had 2.5 households in a situation of energy poverty. In Italy and Belgium, there is currently neither a definition nor an indicator relating to energy poverty.

In these very different national contexts in regulatory, economic, political, and competitive terms, the EDF group is committed to the fight against energy poverty alongside public⁽¹⁾ and social organisations and associations.

All European stakeholders have seen the significant impact of the effects of the health crisis on customers, whose situations have worsened. Households in a situation of energy poverty have been particularly affected by the drop in earned income and some have also been affected by delays with and postponements to housing improvement works. The number of customers in financial difficulty is expected to increase. Feedback on the impact of the crisis is regularly provided by EDF R&D.

EDF R&D runs an “Energy poverty: understand-innovate” programme to anticipate the changes in energy poverty and public policies and to design and develop innovations allowing to fight against energy poverty more efficiently. Contextual studies and prospective reflections of researchers allow this multidisciplinary team (sociology, engineering, economics, computer science, design, ergonomics, statistics) to nurture the three areas of actions (payment assistance, support, prevention) of EDF’s solidarity policy. In France, EDF was involved in the work of the National Fuel Poverty Monitoring Centre.

The Group has long been acting to ensure that an electricity bill is not an additional aggravating factor for its most vulnerable customers and gives priority to supporting them. EDF’s action is materialised into research programmes, innovation and the implementation of practical solutions, consisting of enhanced support for public measures and EDF group-specific actions.

3.3.4.2 Enhanced support for public solidarity schemes and specific action taken by the Group during the health crisis

3.3.4.2.1 Enhanced support for public schemes by the EDF group to promote access and improve efficiency

The EDF group implements public schemes by adding its own strong support systems for vulnerable populations.

In France

Among the many prevention initiatives developed, EDF has been involved in the "Habiter Mieux" (better living) programme run by the Agence nationale de l’habitat (French Agency for Home Improvement or Anah) since 2011. To date, more than 503,000 housing units occupied by vulnerable households have been renovated under this programme. EDF also supports the “Toits d’abord” (a roof first) programme with the Abbé Pierre Foundation and contributed €6.3 million over the 2018-2020 period. The programme focuses on the construction and rehabilitation of housing occupied by very low-income households.

The “Prime énergie EDF” website offers financial assistance, based on a State-run scheme enhanced under the Stimulus Package, to carry out work to save energy. EDF has also run a new scheme called “Mon chauffage durable” (sustainable heating) since 2019, to help the poorest households reduce their energy bills and CO₂ emissions by replacing fossil fuel boilers (oil-, gas- or coal-fired) with heat pumps. Under this scheme, the poorest households are awarded a €4,500 bonus for all quotes signed on or after 1 September 2020.

EDF Systèmes Énergétiques Insulaires (SEI) runs Demand Side Management (DSM) awareness and diagnosis initiatives for vulnerable households, such as on ReunionIsland in partnership with the region through the SLIME programme (local intervention services for demand side management), coordinated by the French energy transition network (CLER).

In terms of payment assistance, EDF continued to promote the government energy vouchers programme in 2020 by:

• implementing relational marketing programmes when the government sends out the energy vouchers and as reminders at the beginning of the winter truce;
• running information campaigns targeting social workers via the efforts of solidarity officers and solidarity customer advisers;
• running outbound calling campaigns (and arranging for social conciliation structures to do the same during the Covid crisis from mid-April to mid-August) to assist customers in their efforts to obtain energy vouchers and submit them online;
• implementing specific initiatives to promote energy vouchers with its partners. The government sent energy vouchers to 5.7 million households in 2020, worth an average amount of €150;
• EDF Systèmes Energétiques Insulaires (SEI), ÉS (Électricité de Strasbourg) and the subsidiary Sowee are also developing information and advice schemes on the use of energy vouchers and demand side management.

Outside France

• In the UK, the Energy Carbon Obligation (ECO3), aimed at vulnerable customers and implemented by EDF Energy, encompasses both measures for reducing carbon emissions and fighting against fuel poverty through the improvement of energy efficiency. EDF also publicises the Warm Home Discount, in particular via its website. In addition, EDF in the UK is the only supplier to have taken the decision to help its customers access the Green Homes Grant, a new government fund that finances households via a voucher system for insulation and low-carbon heating systems. EDF had received over 12,000 applications by the end of September.
• In Italy, Edison is rolling out the “social bonus” scheme. This public scheme takes the form of a reduction applied to electricity bills, based on levels of income.
• In Belgium, Luminus developed all the public schemes that are very specific to Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels Capital Region.

3.3.4.2.2 Specific and voluntary EDF group schemes

The detection of customers in financial difficulty is a difficult issue for all stakeholders. EDF and EDF SEI have taken action in this respect in liaison with their local partners. EDF is developing its modelling capacities to map energy poverty zones and propose solutions to local authorities.

EDF and its subsidiaries are developing voluntary schemes with residential customers in terms of payment plans, schedules and budget management support.

In France, EDF’s customer advisers are informed about situations of energy poverty. In particular, they provide an “Accompagnement Énergie” (energy support) service for any customers in financial difficulty, designed to analyse the situation and propose the most appropriate solutions. The methodology associated with this indicator is explained in section 3.7.2.2 “Further details on performance indicators”.

The “Number of energy support services” for 2020 was 905,017. This represents a slight increase of 1.2% compared with 2019. In April 2020, EDF implemented unprecedented measures to help residential customers with the potentially difficult circumstances caused by the Covid health crisis.

In addition to the implementation of the winter truce⁽²⁾ until 31 May, EDF decided to guarantee energy supplies for all its residential customers and suspended all power reductions and disconnections and all late payment penalties until 1 September 2020. The same exceptional measures were implemented for the second lockdown, until 15 January 2021. At the same time, EDF continued to help its customers by providing energy support services to find a customised solution for their payment problems, on a scale comparable to that of 2019.