When young people find themselves having to pay energy bills for the first time, they often feel uncertain about what to do and unsupported in making key financial decisions. Formal education doesn’t prepare them for navigating the complex energy system, leading to a lack of knowledge and understanding around payment options and debt risks. This knowledge gap means that young first time bill payers are particularly vulnerable to scams and misinformation, and uniquely at risk of falling into fuel poverty.

Funded by Utilita, CSE is delivering a project that aims to understand the barriers young people face – and the support that they need – when paying their bills for the first time. To better understand their experiences, we’ve conducted focus groups with 16-30 year olds who have been paying energy bills for less than two years, including at-risk groups such as students and care leavers. We’re being supported in this work by our Youth Advisory Board member Mia, who is an Energy Adviser for her university and brings this valuable experience to the project.

Focus group findings

Some of the most noticeable knowledge gaps that created challenges for young first time bill payers included:  

• Choosing an energy provider and tariff – identifying the best rate to go with for their household.
• Being aware of hidden expenses in bill-splitting services and all-inclusive bills, and understanding what might be reasonable payment amounts.
• Understanding their bills and expectations around expenditure, including direct debits. 
• Finding and reading their meter.
• Understanding energy consumption of appliances and different heating systems, including plug-in heaters vs central heating.

Many young people expressed frustration over not having the opportunity to learn about bills before they had to start paying their own.

Care leavers face additional challenges as first time bill payers. Many have lived through unique and sensitive experiences, leaving them a particularly vulnerable group. They noted how energy companies and services aren’t aware of this and often make assumptions about their capability to act.

What’s next

Based on the feedback from the focus groups, our comprehensive report will detail the experiences of first time bill payers and outline ways to support them. We’ll produce resources that outline trustworthy sources of information, signpost to the help available, and demystify the technical language often used by energy providers.

We’ll also pilot modes of outreach to engage a wider audience of young people. Future outreach opportunities could involve specialised training of energy advisors, connecting young people to external advice organisations via the Energy Support Network, attending university fairs, and enabling first time bill payers to access trusted energy advice through social media.

In the future, we’d also like to reach other groups of young people at increased risk of fuel poverty, such as young refugees or young people experiencing bereavement.