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Project Briefing Daniel Curry Senior Energy and Fuel Poverty Officer

Project Briefing Daniel Curry Senior Energy and Fuel Poverty Officer. Overall Objectives:. Collaboration between Change Agents UK, Rutland County Council and many other local charities and organisations. Funded by the LSP and the Department of Health Warm Homes Healthy People Fund.

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Project Briefing Daniel Curry Senior Energy and Fuel Poverty Officer

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  1. Project Briefing Daniel Curry Senior Energy and Fuel Poverty Officer

  2. Overall Objectives: • Collaboration between Change Agents UK, Rutland County Council and many other local charities and organisations. • Funded by the LSP and the Department of Health Warm Homes Healthy People Fund. • Wanted to develop a targeted fuel poverty project throughout the county. • Tied together public health and environmental agendas (careful messaging). • An objective to deliver more than insulation / heating upgrades; addressing fuel poverty is often more complex than simply upgrading housing stock.

  3. Our principal service: a home energy audit Target to deliver 200 home energy audits between February and the end of April 2012

  4. The audit process: • Trained assessors available to give individual advice to householders. • Includes: • Specific information on infrastructural measures for the property in question. E.g. loft and cavity wall insulation based on SAP • Behavioural advice on how to use heating systems/timers/programmers/thermostats. Use of energy monitors. • Advice and direct help to switch energy suppliers and benefit from the cheapest tariffs available • Every householder sent a follow up report on potential improvements. • Re-visiting residents was common e.g. To help tariff switching.

  5. Project Delivery: • Firstly needed to develop a brand that could be recognised and trusted. • Created a “fuel poverty hub” that consisted of local organisations with a strong interest in helping local residents e.g. Age UK, Voluntary Action Rutland, First Contact, Spire Homes (RSL), Citizens Advice Bureau etc. • Used Rutland County Councils revenue and benefits data to target a mailshot to over 1100 vulnerable residents. • Supplemented this approach with a communications campaign containing health and financial messaging through newspapers, local radio, posters, community groups etc. • Training of front line staff visiting residents in their homes; carers, support workers, housing officers, environmental health, RSL employees

  6. Project Delivery: • Attempted to create a referral system with local GPs and surgeries, but difficult to achieve – time constraints and other pressures. • Developed “warm home packs” containing information on the importance of keeping warm in the home, a room thermometer, radiator reflector panels and “shower smart” water saving shower heads. • 300 distributed to doctors surgeries around the county and managed to persuade reception staff to draw people’s attention to them. • Had the benefit of a handyman to undertake small jobs such as draft proofing, re-hanging doors and windows, intricate insulation jobs etc.

  7. Project results and achievements: • 203 home energy audits completed in a little under 4 months. • 92% overall satisfaction rate from customer feedback survey. • Completing infrastructural work alone (eg. filling cavities and topping up loft insulation) would have resulted in an average 22% reduction in fuel bills. • The average amount that could be saved by switching tariffs alone was £150.36 per year. • Quantifying the benefit of behavioural advice such as teaching residents how to use heating and hot water systems is very difficult, but significant. • Winner of the 2012 Community Footprint Award from National Energy Action, in association with British Gas and DECC.

  8. Common pitfalls: • 13.5% of residents were being billed on the wrong meter for electricity (economy 7 or standard). • 8% of households visited had immersion water heaters turned on 24/7 for 365 days a year, even though they often also heated water with gas AND only often used the water for washing up. • Lack of knowledge of how to use electric storage systems / timers on immersion heaters in partnership with economy 7. • Inaccurate meters or meters wired the wrong way around! • Many more examples

  9. Moving forward: • Now working with Melton Borough Council (funded by Scottish Power Energy People Trust) alongside the Rutland project (Ebico funded). • Working towards a more joined-up approach between our services and healthcare professionals / frontline staff. • Develop relationships with more community groups to benefit from local knowledge of potentially vulnerable residents. • Train local people about the effects of fuel poverty and deliver basic energy advice. In the longer term mentor and support them; offering a home energy audit from one of the project officers if necessary. • Link into the Green Deal / ECO CSCO once CERT and Warm Front cease.

  10. Graduate Placement Scheme & Warm Homes Healthy People

  11. Any questions? Daniel Curry danielcurry@changeagents.org.uk Tel: 01664 502431 or 01572 725837 Senior Energy and Fuel Poverty Officer

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