Betty’s Story
Betty lives alone in her own home and had been without heating or hot water for three years.
She has multiple health conditions and shared that the stress and worry of her situation led to her suffering a breakdown.
Her original heat pump developed problems early on. When she contacted her local council for help, the situation worsened, leaving her with a large energy debt after the system was left running for two weeks. Betty had received a quote for the necessary repairs, costing thousands of pounds – far beyond what she could afford – and had been saving her DLA for three years in an effort to fix it.
Recognising the exceptional nature of her case, one of Utilita’s agents escalated her situation to his superiors, Betty’s local MP, and her local council. We reached out to Betty to discuss the support available through One Call, That’s All (OCTA). We were able to purchase a new heat pump for her, and Utilita carried out the fitting.
Betty was overwhelmed by the support she had already received from Utilita and the additional help through OCTA. The prospect of having a warm home and access to hot water again brought her to tears. She shared that she could now invite her brother to stay – something she had been too embarrassed to do before because of her lack of heating and hot water.
Betty described the support as a “miracle,” calling the work “marvellous.” Having heating and hot water back has been “life-changing,” and she no longer needs to wear multiple layers and sheep skin slippers to keep warm.
“A chance phone call changed my life ... the job was done in a matter of hours and after all the illness and stress l have been through trying to get help it’s truly like a miracle. Thanks to everyone concerned for their professionalism and their kindness. Just wonderful.”