Closing date: 9am on Tuesday 3 May 2022.

We’re looking for an experienced and knowledgeable individual to help vulnerable people improve their home energy efficiency, giving advice through in-home visits, over telephone and at events. You will be tasked with helping implement our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria service across districts within the county and providing excellent customer service to our clients. You’ll have excellent communication and accurate coordination skills, supporting our pool of contractors and advisers.

Application & Interview Process

Please apply by completing the application form below. Please do not send a CV. Guidance for submitting your application is included in the form.

CAfS Application Form

Closing date for return of applications is 9am on 3 May 2022.

Interviews will be held via Zoom on Wednesday 11 May 2022.

Job description

If you prefer to download the job description and person specification, please use the link below:

Home Energy Adviser – Job Description

BENEFITS: CAfS offers an excellent working environment, with benefits ranging from flexible working to a pension contribution. Find out more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

EMPLOYER:  Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) 

LOCATION:  Contractually based at our office, Eden Rural Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET, however we are open to flexible working patterns and blended home, site and office working. 

REPORTS TO:  Project Manager – Cold to Cosy Homes 

HOURS:  22.5 to 30 hours a week, with flexibility to work across 3, 4 or 5 days. The working times are flexible but must include core office hours of 10am-3pm unless agreed otherwise. There may also be occasional need to work evenings/weekends for event or meeting support. 

START/END DATE: Start as soon as possible. Fixed-term contract to 30 April 2023. (with potential for extension subject to funding) 

SALARY RANGE:  £21,336 to £25,400 per annum full-time equivalent, (£17,068, to £20,320 for a 30-hour week) depending on skills and experience.  

LEGAL RIGHT TO WORK: You must have a legal right to work in the UK as CAfS is not in a position to act as a sponsor.  

APPLICATIONS BY: Apply using the CAfS application form. CVs will not be considered. Application forms must be received by 9am on 3rd May 2022. 

INTERVIEWS: Interviews will be held on 11th May 2022.  

Interviews will be via Zoom. The interview process will also involve one or more tasks relating to the role. Candidates shortlisted for interview will be contacted by 17:00 on 6th May 2022. 

ABOUT CAFS: 

Our vision is a zero carbon Cumbria, and we strive to bring about a better way of life, in balance with our environment.  

Our mission is to empower and enable people, communities, and businesses to live and work more sustainably by sharing our knowledge, practice, skills, networks, and practical experience. We manage and deliver events, advice, training, and practical projects across the county as well as providing specialist consultancy services to enable individuals, communities, businesses and local authorities to drive a shift towards a Zero Carbon Cumbria. 

We are expanding our Cold to Cosy Homes service to deliver more free home energy advice support across all districts of Cumbria. The service supports vulnerable people who may be living in cold, draughty, or damp homes and includes:  

  • Advice about home energy efficiency by telephone and in-home by trained CAfS employees and contractors.  
  • Events and training about home energy efficiency for householders and volunteers. 
  • The installation of energy measures such as draughtproofing, low energy light bulbs and insulation by professional installers. 

We also increasingly offer a range of commercial services to householders for energy audits and advice.   

This job description is not exhaustive but is provided to assist the postholder to know what the main duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the levels of responsibility appropriate to the grade of the post and in discussion with the postholder. 

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLE: 

This role is to: 

  • Provide home energy advice in clients’ homes, by telephone and through events to clients across Cumbria. 
  • Oversee the day to day running of energy advice related projects across Cumbria. 
  • Help deliver growth in our Cold to Cosy Homes service. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS: 

  • Implement the Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria project across districts in Cumbria. 
  • Delivering energy advice in clients’ homes, by telephone and through arranging and delivery of advice at events throughout Cumbria. 
  • Provide a high quality of customer service, building a friendly rapport with clients and a strong and credible reputation for the advice service and CAfS. 
  • Oversee energy advice related projects that support the delivery of our Cold to Cosy Homes service.  
  • Manage relationships with specific stakeholders to develop the Cold to Cosy Homes service, for example Electricity North West. 
  • Manage the reviewing and learning from our service to inform developments 
  • Develop and support our team of professional energy advisers to provide telephone-based advice and visits. 
  • Develop new ways to support our clients to save energy and afford to heat their homes. 
  • Contribute to the ongoing work of CAfS generally, including attending appropriate networking meetings, team meetings and training sessions. 

Person Specification 

Essential skills and attributes: 

  • Knowledge of domestic energy saving, the domestic energy market, tariff comparisons and switching, renewable energy and other schemes to help people save energy and afford their energy bills.  
  • Experience of project delivery. 
  • Good knowledge of the issues that vulnerable people can have in heating their homes. 
  • Demonstrable skills and experience of providing high-quality customer service. 
  • Strong team player and capability to work cooperatively as part of a small team as well as on own initiative without day-to-day supervision.  
  • Excellent communication skills, to network and reach out to communities and organisations supporting vulnerable customers and to provide clear energy-efficiency advice. 
  • Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of sustainability issues and an interest in the objectives that CAfS seeks to deliver. 
  • Ability to deliver workshops and speak confidently to small groups.  
  • Good written communication and Microsoft Office skills. 
  • Ability to work to tight deadlines and juggle multiple priorities. 
  • Ability to work flexibly including evening and weekend working by agreement. 
  • Ability to travel independently throughout rural Cumbria.  

Desirable criteria 

The following attributes are desirable but not essential: 

  • Experience of providing energy saving advice. 
  • Experience of working in or with local authorities, housing association tenants or organisation supporting households. 
  • Experience of providing services to vulnerable households. 
  • A qualification in providing energy advice – such as City & Guilds Level 3 Energy Awareness. 
  • Experience of working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including vulnerable individuals and community groups. 
  • Experience of working in a dispersed team and using Microsoft Teams or similar.  
  • Practical experience of improving energy efficiency in domestic settings.  
  • An existing network of contacts in Cumbria or demonstrable ability to build networks rapidly. 
  • Additional experience / qualification in energy auditing/thermography. 
  • Budgeting and project management experience. 
  • Experience of securing grant funding and tenders. 

If you would like more information about the role, please email: [email protected]