EDF Energy introduces new accessibility measures for customers affected by dementia

EDF Energy introduces new accessibility measures for customers affected by dementia

(IN BRIEF) EDF Energy and Alzheimer’s Society are expanding efforts to improve accessibility for customers affected by dementia during Dementia Action Week. The initiative includes simplifying communications, redesigning digital services, improving access to support programs and making smart meter information easier to understand. The partnership follows research showing that many people living with dementia struggle with online systems, paying bills and managing energy accounts. EDF is also working to improve processes for carers and people using Lasting Power of Attorney arrangements, while continuing to involve people with lived experience in shaping future service changes.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 18-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — EDF Energy has announced a series of new measures aimed at improving accessibility for customers affected by dementia as part of its ongoing partnership with Alzheimer’s Society during Dementia Action Week.

The initiative follows new research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society involving more than 1,300 people affected by dementia, which found that many continue to face significant challenges using digital services and managing household energy tasks. According to the findings, 81% of respondents reported difficulties using online systems, while half said they had struggled to pay energy bills within the past year. More than half also lacked confidence carrying out everyday energy-related activities such as checking bills or changing suppliers.

In response, EDF Energy said it is working to simplify customer communications through clearer language, revised bill formats and improved presentation of information across its digital platforms. The company is also redesigning elements of its website to make navigation simpler and ensure support options for vulnerable customers are easier to access.

The energy supplier has additionally focused on making support services more visible, including clearer explanations of the Priority Services Register and more proactive signposting for customers who may require additional assistance. EDF said it is also reviewing how customers interact with smart meters and in-home display units after feedback indicated that some users find the systems confusing or overwhelming. The company is exploring simplified displays, clearer cost information and improved guidance for both customers and carers.

Supporting carers has become another major area of focus for the partnership. According to EDF and Alzheimer’s Society, many people managing energy accounts on behalf of someone with dementia encounter inconsistent and complex administrative processes, particularly where Lasting Power of Attorney arrangements are involved. EDF said it is working to simplify these journeys and make account management easier for carers and family members.

The changes are being informed directly by people living with dementia and carers through insight sessions and user feedback programs designed to identify practical barriers affecting everyday energy management.

Joe Souto, Director of Retail at EDF Energy, said the company has a responsibility to remove barriers that can make managing household energy overwhelming for people affected by dementia. Michelle Dyson, Chief Executive Officer of Alzheimer’s Society, added that partnerships between businesses and charities are important to ensure services better reflect the needs of people living with dementia and those supporting them.

Alongside operational changes, EDF employees have raised more than £500,000 for Alzheimer’s Society to support dementia services and research initiatives.

About EDF

EDF is driving the transition towards An Electric Britain – a secure, affordable, low-carbon future for everyone. As Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, we are investing more than £100 million weekly in Britain’s electricity infrastructure. We supply millions of customers with electricity and help homes and businesses switch to electricity for heating, transport and industrial processes.

We operate five nuclear power stations and more than 35 onshore wind farms and three offshore wind farms. Since 2009, EDF has invested almost £9 billion in the nuclear fleet to improve reliability and extend station lifetimes. The five generating stations currently supply about 12% of the UK’s electricity demand.

EDF is building the UK’s nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. We are a minority investor (12.5%) in and major supplier to a replica plant at Sizewell C in Suffolk. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will provide low carbon electricity to meet 14% of UK demand and power around 12 million homes. EDF Group companies Framatome and Arabelle Solutions have a presence in the UK and manufacture critical equipment such as reactor pressure vessels and turbines.

EDF is enabling its 5 million customers, both in business and at home, to choose electric solutions that save cash and carbon, whether it is buying an electric car, generating and storing electricity, selling energy back to the grid or installing solar panels or a heat pump. In 2025, EDF’s Customers business was ranked as one of the Sunday Times’s Best Place to Work.

It is also one of the UK’s leading developers of renewable energy through EDF power solutions UK and Ireland. We have more than 2GW of renewable generation in operation and over 10GW in construction, planning and development across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage.

We are one of the largest suppliers to British business and a leading supplier of innovative energy solutions that are helping businesses become more energy independent. In addition, the company’s energy services business, Dalkia, is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest technical service providers.

Media Contact:

media@edfenergy.com

SOURCE: EDF