How integration helped British Gas Energy Trust reach those most in need

British Gas Energy Trust (the Trust) provides grants to customers with energy debt. The Trust relied on self-referrals and referrals from frontline services, services which struggled to stay abreast of various schemes’ eligibility requirements. This meant that despite the cost of living crisis, funds were often underspent. For self-referred customers, the process was disjointed as they had to use another website and re-enter their details.

The Trust integrated its eligibility assessment with the Better Off Calculator, endorsed by GOV.UK and used by advisors and the public nationwide, meaning customers are assessed for the grant as part of their advice journey. The Trust also integrated the Better Off Calculator on their website to allow customers to apply for debt relief online and to check for unclaimed benefits as part of the one process.

Technically, Policy In Practice implemented the Trust’s different eligibility requirements and assessed customers while they used the calculator. The Trust could then turn schemes on and off depending on funding availability. The Trust integrated the calculator with their website, using a ‘white labelled’ version of the calculator which transferred the applicant’s details via API to prefill their application form. Legally, the data is processed with the customer’s consent.

Of over 2 million customers a year who use the Better Off Calculator, more than 80,000 customers between April and September 2024 were assessed as eligible for the Trust’s support scheme, many of whom went on to apply, of which over 5,000 applied immediately using Apply Once. Others will have applied over the phone or after they have claimed more valuable benefits like Universal Credit. Customers’ journeys were streamlined and they didn’t have to re-enter their details.

The Trust has been able to reliably disburse its funding with confidence its support is reaching the most in need. By integrating with the Better Off Calculator, the Trust has simplified the client journey by combining advice and application into one step, ensuring customers in debt have been supported to access unclaimed benefits to prevent debt build up in the future. The integrated journey has also reduced administration costs.