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Getting in touch with us for someone else?

If you want to speak to us on behalf of someone else, we can still help.

Who can contact us on behalf of someone else?
Anyone can contact us on behalf of someone else; for example: partners, parents, children, other family members, friends, support workers or carers.

We need permission to give detailed advice
We need to get permission from the person you're contacting us about so we can provide the best, tailored advice for them.

We can give general advice without getting their permission, but this would be limited to things like energy saving tips and wouldn't be specifically tailored to them. To qualify for funding or certain schemes, we need to find out whether they are eligible. To do this, we need their permission.

How to arrange permission
There are two ways to arrange for permission to speak to us about the person you're helping:

  • Over the phone
    This is the easiest way. If the person you're contacting us on behalf of is with you when you call us, then they can give their permission verbally.
  • In writing
    If you have Power of Attorney for the person you're contacting us about, then we'll need proof of this. You can do this by sending us the first page of the Power of Attorney document if it exists online. If the Power of Attorney document isn't online, or if you're unsure, you may need to send us a copy of the full document. We will talk you through how to do this when you speak to us. If there is no Power of Attorney - and we're unable to get verbal permssion - then we may need a letter, email or a specific form. Again, we can discuss this with you at the time.

What if the person has previously given their permission for you to contact us?
This depends on when you were last in touch with us. If you were last in touch with us on behalf of someone:

  • less than six months ago, we will only need to request their permission again if the Power of Attorney has expired. We will check this with you when you call us.
  • more than six months ago: we will need to check if the Power of Attorney is still up to date. If it isn't, we will need to ask for permission (or get an updated Power of Attorney) again.

How to get in touch
You can contact us in the same way as you would if you were looking for help yourself:

  • By phone:
    Call us free on 0808 808 2282 or complete our contact form to arrange a call back. Our lines are open Monday - Friday, 8am - 8pm, and Saturday 9am - 5pm. Please note our phone lines are often quite busy in the evenings and at weekends.
  • By email:
    Complete our contact form and select 'email' when asked how you'd like us to get back to you. We'll aim to be in touch within five working days.

We're here to help

Need information in a language that isn’t English? We can arrange an interpreter – just let us know what you need when you call us. Or, if you use British Sign Language, you can use the contactScotland-BSL app to get in touch.

And, if your organisation works with people who could use our help, find out about referring your clients to us for free, impartial advice and access to funding.

Home Energy Scotland is funded by Scottish Government and managed by Energy Saving Trust. Our advice is free and impartial and we can help you access financial support to help manage your bills, improve your home and reduce your carbon emissions.