Free Help with your Energy & Water Bills
Hastings Furniture Service (HFS) is expanding the support it offers local households by hosting free weekly energy and water advice sessions at its Priory Meadow store, in partnership with local community benefit society Energise Sussex Coast (ESC).
The Thursday drop-in sessions, running between 9.30am and noon, will provide practical help with energy and water bills, debt issues and energy-saving measures, at a time when many households are facing severe cost pressures.
Founded in 1988, HFS has supported local people for more than 35 years by providing low-cost, high-quality donated furniture, white goods and household essentials. Its ‘Essentials’ store in Priory Meadow, Hastings (opposite Primark) plays a key role in helping people set up and maintain safe, dignified homes, particularly those on low incomes or facing crisis.
By bringing the advice sessions into its town centre store, HFS aims to make support easier to access. This will mean people can get essential household items and trusted energy advice in one familiar, welcoming place – removing stigma and reducing the need for people to navigate multiple services.
Through the partnership, ESC’s trained energy advisors will offer expert, one-to-one advice on energy and water debts, billing problems and supplier disputes, identifying the best tariffs and support schemes, and practical steps to reduce energy use and cut bills. Advisors can also help residents access free or part-funded insulation and energy efficiency measures, boiler repairs or replacements, grants for white goods, and advice on home upgrades such as solar panels and heat pumps.
Visitors will also be able to take away free energy-saving items, including LED lightbulbs and draught- proofing kits, and book a free follow-up home visit with an ESC Energy Advisor where needed.
Thursdays 9.30-12.00 at Hastings Furniture Store, Priory Meadow
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