Learning from others

CASE STUDY 1: Carstairs Environmental Improvement Project.

What policy areas was this project linked to?

Energy Efficiency, Poverty and Affordable Warmth.
Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development.
Energy Efficiency and Housing.

What were its aims?

• To provide energy efficiency improvements for rural local authority housing in area with a high proportion of both elderly and unemployed residents and without mains gas;
• To promote access to Warm Deal grants and energy advice for residents in private sector housing in the same area.

Who were the partners?

• Local Community groups.
• South Lanarkshire Council Energy Unit.
• Local companies and employers.

Where did it find funding?

• £161,676 via a Scottish Power Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance (EESoP) scheme;
• Warm Deal Grants for energy efficiency improvements.

What did the project involve?

• The project was undertaken between September and December 1999;
• 410 local authority properties received improvements:

• 780 households had access to energy efficiency advice and information;
• NHER ratings (a measure of the energy efficiency of a dwelling) increased by an average 14% (1.4 points);
• Fuel bills were reduced by up to £300 a year for participating households;
• CO² emissions were reduced by 404.6 tonnes a year;
• Information days were held and broadened to include other agencies;
• The project provided a focus for the development of additional environmental projects, including the two local primary schools registering to work towards ECO schools status, a litter pick up campaign, siting of a recycling centre, tree and bulb planting and landscaping of amenity areas.

Contact
Val Burke
Development Officer
Property Services
South Lanarkshire Council
Atholl House
Churchill Avenue
East Kilbride
G74 1LH
Tel: 01355 806 816
Fax: 01355 806 667

CASE STUDY 2: The Beechmount Project, Belfast.

What policy areas was this project linked with?

• Energy Efficiency, Poverty and Affordable Warmth;
• Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development;
• Energy Efficiency and Education.

What were its aims?

The project is an energy efficiency pilot project focused on the alleviation of fuel poverty and contributing to sustainable improvement in Beechmount.
Beechmount is an urban housing area in West Belfast. It is characterized by high levels of unemployment and suffers from a high level of deprivation. Housing is primarily owner-occupied, Victorian terraces.

The objectives of the first phase of the project were:

· To carry out an energy audit of the housing stock and explore the links between energy efficiency and health, environment, economic development and education;

· To make recommendations for action, that could be delivered by a community-led partnership.

Who were the partners?

• Blackie Community Groups Association.
• Bryson House (a local charity).
• Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland).
• Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Where did it find funding?

• The Beechmount report was funded by the Department of the Environment (NI);
• The other partners provided assistance in kind and allocated time to the project;
• Delivery of future phases would cost approximately £3.8 million and will require a large fund-raising initiative.

What did the project involve?

• Engaging local residents, developing their skills and capacities, to make sustainable community improvements, is the core premise upon which this community energy planning process has evolved. The Blackie Community Groups Association has played a major role in developing and implementing the project. The essential role of local community structures in achieving sustainable behavioural changes should not be undervalued.
• In order to integrate the need for change into the community's social infrastructure, local children have been engaged in energy and environmental study activities through local primary schools. Children have a significant role to play in underpinning behavioural change in households today and as householders of the future.
• A range of information gathering and assessment mechanisms were employed to provide a status assessment of the area's energy efficiency and environmental condition. 43% of householders completed a doorstep questionnaire survey. Technical energy surveys, walk-around surveys and the establishment of a focus group further supplemented and validated the data collected.
• With regard to energy efficiency, the housing stock has an energy rating just below the Northern Ireland average. In general, housing appears to lack basic insulation and heating systems are inefficient and poorly controlled. The data suggests that a significant number of Beechmount residents suffer from fuel poverty. A high proportion of respondents report health conditions, particularly respiratory disorders.
• The potential of both energy and environmental improvements to create locally-led economic development opportunities was explored. The project recommendations highlight opportunities for local people to become engaged in training and employment programmes linked to those development opportunities.
• The report recommends the implementation of an integrated energy efficiency assessment process, which encourages a comprehensive approach to provision, recognises ability to pay, and includes independent assessment based on achieving a target energy rating. To manage this programme, the report's second major recommendation proposes a community/ statutory partnership development body, to apply for funds and implement the proposals contained in the report.
• The report also identifies other environmental improvements which could be linked to the initiative including a kerbside recycling project, a play and green area development scheme and secure back entries to terraces.

Contact
Bryson House
28 Bedford Street
Belfast
BT2 7FE
Tel: 028 9032 5835.

CASE STUDY 3: Community projects in Stroud.

What policy areas was this project linked to?

• Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development;
• Energy Efficiency and an Ageing Population;
• Energy Efficiency and Rural Issues.

What were its aims?

To improve energy efficiency within the Stroud area, Stroud Council has facilitated a series of community energy efficiency projects, which are described below, each targeting a particular group or area within the community.

• The Riverside Project aimed to raise awareness of energy efficiency and provide energy advice, insulation measures and energy efficient appliances to people over 60 and others on low incomes in remoter parts of the authority.
• The Energy Champions project aimed to develop a network of informed volunteers who would act as a focal point to promote energy efficiency within their community.
• The Solar Energy Club to promote solar water heating installations.
• Focus on Families, targeting families with children under 5.

Who were the partners?

• Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), providing meals on wheels.
• Various departments of Stroud Council led by the council's energy efficiency co-ordinator.
• Gloucestershire Social Services.
• Severn Wye Energy Agency.
• District and parish councillors.
• A wide range of community and voluntary organizations, residents associations and women's institutes.
• A furniture recycling project.

Where did it find funding?

• Stroud Council has committed funds to a series of energy projects from its own budget, successfully applied for HECAction funding with neighbouring authorities, and allocated staff time to the initiatives.
• Midlands Electricity.
• The projects attracted a range of energy efficiency grants to the targeted groups.

What did the project involve?

• The Riverside Project included:

* Energy efficiency lunches providing practical advice and information in an informal and enjoyable setting, at which energy efficiency resource packs including a free low energy light bulb were distributed.

* 'Fun and Facts in the Community' days were arranged in four village halls on Saturdays comprising displays and promotions with advice and information of interest to most people within the communities, on a range of issues including energy efficiency. Energy questionnaires, prize draws, entertainment for children and refreshments made the day as enjoyable and participative as possible.

* The events provided opportunities to promote HEES and other local and national initiatives, and the Council disseminated advice and information about their own grants for insulation measures and electrical appliances.

* Council funding was available for people within the target area to provide energy efficient fridges, freezers or microwaves to Meals on Wheels recipients and to top up and extend the range of energy efficiency measures, including cavity wall, loft insulation and draught proofing, provided by the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme.

• The Energy Champions scheme provided City and Guilds Energy Awareness Training for volunteer energy champions recruited through village events or other parish organisations. They are trained to provide energy advice through home visits and presentations in their parishes, with Council support.
• The Solar Energy Club provides specialist training and product discounts to facilitate solar water heating installations.
• Focus on Families was funded by HECAction to enable local councils to work in partnership with family organisations to provide energy advice for families with young children under 5.
• Stroud and neighbouring authorities have received HECAction funding to work in partnership with estate agents to provide energy awareness training for their staff and energy efficiency information packs for house movers.

Contact
Lynn Edwards
Stroud District Council
Council Offices
Ebley Mill
Stroud
Gloucestershire
Tel: 01453 7544 454
Fax: 01453 750 932
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CASE STUDY 4: Beat the Cold, North Staffordshire.

What policy areas was this project linked to?

• Energy Efficiency and Health.
• Energy Efficiency and an Ageing Population.

What were its aims?

• To co-ordinate activities across North Staffordshire to relieve the effect/problem of cold with regard to the elderly, people with disabilities, families on low income, the homeless, etc.
• To encourage older people to be more demanding rather than accepting that feeling cold in winter is a normal or natural thing.

Who were the partners?

• Beat the Cold originated as a partnership between Staffordshire Social Services and Stoke-on-Trent Council for Voluntary Service.
• In 1999 Beat the Cold became a charity in its own right.
• Organisations involved in Beat the Cold's advisory forum include:

* Local authorities.

* North Staffs Health Authority and Combined Healthcare NHS Trust.

* Voluntary organisations including Age Concern, Disability Solutions, North Staffs Carers Association, WRVS.

* Community groups.

* The Benefits Agency.

* Radio Stoke community broadcast unit.

* NEA, npower and British Gas.

Where did it find funding?

• Beat the Cold began as an informal working party.
• From 1995 grants from Midlands Electricity enabled the appointment of a co-ordinator.
• In 1999 Beat the Cold secured a substantial grant from the National Lottery Charities Board.
• Beat the Cold attracts substantial funding into local communities through increasing access to grants for energy efficiency activities.

What did the project involve?

The project activities include:

• Producing a simple 'lifestyle' advice leaflet that is revised and updated every year, in four versions for different localities featuring useful national and local contacts. It is designed for use by people with impaired vision or poor literacy and is distributed widely by district nurses, health visitors, doctors, dentists, pharmacies, area housing offices, social services area offices, home care assessors, care workers, fuel companies, and well over one hundred voluntary agencies and community groups.
• Holding and updating information to benefit clients and partners on

* National energy efficiency grants schemes.

* Local authority schemes funded by, for example HECAction, the Single Regeneration Budget.

* Initiatives by other agencies, e.g. Help the Aged, Energy Saving Trust.

* Fuel company initiatives, e.g. special needs registers, discount schemes.

* Care and Repair handyperson schemes.

* Health service information and local initiatives.

• Home energy checks.
• Talks and events to deliver simple lifestyle advice (safe indoor temperatures, dressing and eating well, warmth at night) and details of HEES and other grant schemes. About 100 talks are delivered each winter.
• Training and briefing sessions (on, for example, affordable warmth and good health, national and local grants and schemes, using fuels and heating systems, carbon monoxide awareness and paying for fuel) are delivered to other agencies and groups working with vulnerable people including the Benefits Agency counter staff, Age Concern volunteers, occupational therapists, residents associations, Older People's Services Forum and Rotary Clubs.
• Specific initiatives are undertaken from time to time including

* Advice linked to 'flu jabs'.

* Locality specific advice for particular estates.

* Work with local authorities to prepare funding bids.

Contact
Martin Chadwick, Co-ordinator
Beat the Cold
The Dudson Centre
Hope Street
Hanley
Stoke-on-Trent
ST1 5DD
Tel: 01782 683 013
Fax: 01782 683 199

CASE STUDY 5: Cornwall Home Health Project.

Introduction.

This case study provides an overview of a scheme to bring together a variety of funding sources to provide major energy efficiency measures for free to communities in Cornwall. In its first pilot phase, the project focuses on two areas of west Cornwall 'one urban, one rural' using a 'bottom-up' approach that utilizes existing community networks to ensure that the most difficult to reach households are included.

When was the project set up?

The project began in April 2002 and is ongoing.

Who's involved?

The project is run by the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP), which is managed by Community Energy Plus (a charitable company and an Energy Efficiency Advice Centre). Members involved in this project include:

• West Cornwall Primary Care Trust
• Kerrier District Council
• Penwith District Council
• Kerrier Homes Trust
• Penwith Housing Association
• Age Concern
• Sure Start
• Pendeen Project
• Pengegon Residents Association.

The project is a partnership with the British Gas Here to Help scheme and EAGA Ltd.

How is it funded?

The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes, Community Action for Energy (CAfE) programme supports the employment of a dedicated community project manager and assistant. The Social, Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Fund finances a community outreach and training officer post. The energy-saving measures (which include cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, hot water tank jackets and low-energy light bulbs) are funded as follows:

• Households that qualify for Warm Front grants: EAGA Ltd
• Registered Social Landlord (RSL) properties: 50% is paid by the RSL and 50% by British Gas
• Owner-occupier properties: Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Low-energy light bulbs distributed under the scheme are funded by British Gas. The security measures installed under the scheme are funded 50% by British Gas and 50% by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund/ Penwith District Council.

What are the targets and aims?

The pilot primarily focuses on two selected areas in west Cornwall, chosen because of the different types of housing they represent: Pengegon Estate in Camborne (mainly RSL housing) and Pendeen village (mainly private stock).

All householders in the target areas are eligible for works, regardless of income or status. The aims are:

• To make all the homes in these areas warmer, drier and healthier by encouraging the take-up of energy efficiency measures
• To identify pockets of deprivation and alleviate fuel poverty
• To educate and inform communities about sustainable energy issues
• To reduce carbon dioxide emissions through community education to encourage behavioural changes
• To provide training and education for local communities on the issues surrounding sustainable energy and the environment

How was it implemented?

A network of community organisations has been set up that includes health workers, voluntary sector groups, public sector organizations and volunteers. All members of this network are visited by the Community Outreach and Training Officer and offered training in energy efficiency and to also act as a signpost to other forms of advice, such as crime prevention and benefits advice. Each network member receives an information pack about the project and a referral pack. Members use the packs in their daily work as and when they identify households that might require energy efficiency measures. In addition, West Cornwall Primary Care Trust provided a link between the scheme and local GP surgeries, identifying four practices that would participate in making referrals.

All households that are referred are surveyed by an EAGA Ltd surveyor to determine what energy-saving works are needed, and any insulation measures and heating systems are installed by EAGA's appointed contractors. Heating systems in RSL properties are installed by RSL's workforce or their appointed contractors.

At the same time as surveys are conducted, Community Energy Plus organizes fun days in the area to launch the scheme, with entertainment as well as information for local residents. Other community organizations, public bodies and the local media are also invited.

The scheme is promoted by news releases to the local press (which have resulted in articles and radio interviews), adverts and articles in community organisations, newsletters and posters in shops and doctors surgeries. The CSEP team has also given presentations to local authorities and other statutory and voluntary organisations.

Achievements.

As of March 2003:

• 890 of the 1433 homes in both areas have agreed to be surveyed (62%)
• 645 surveys have been successfully carried out (in 235 no measures were required)
• 22% of those requiring measures have been eligible to receive them under the Warm Front grant, showing that the scheme is reaching some of those most in need
• 537 loft insulations and 152 cavity wall insulations completed; 156 hot water tank jackets fitted
• every home in the area is receiving four low-energy light bulbs (even those not surveyed)
• 475 people have expressed an interest in a Benefit Health Check to ensure they are receiving benefits they are entitled to. 75 checks carried out so far, with 20 people identified as entitled to new/ extra benefits
• 49 community organisations, volunteers and individuals are involved
• annual savings of 1027 tonnes of carbon dioxide have resulted from the measures installed
• the project has been used as an example of best practice by Britsih Gas in the launch of their Here to Help scheme in other parts of the UK

Key success factors.

• Catering for all householders, regardless of income or status, avoids any stigma that may be associated with projects that have eligibility criteria
• Utilising networks that are already established and trusted by the community creates an understanding and trust of the scheme and increases the uptake of measures
• All partner organisations are fully committed to the project
• Energy-saving works are carried out quickly so successes are tangible (on average, surveying an area takes three weeks; work commences shortly after and takes approximately four weeks per area to complete)
• Securing match funding

Lessons learnt.

• Working effectively within the community means that the scheme is more likely to reach those most in need
• 'Groundwork' done in the months before means that people are much more likely to agree to having their homes surveyed, as they feel better informed, they know where to go for information and they have a sense of ownership of the project
• By working quickly, with results that are immediately tangible, the project ensures that householders are less likely to feel forgotten
• Multi-agency projects can have practical problems such as the plethora of logos and names being confusing for householders. In this case, this was partially overcome by most partners agreeing to go under the overall branding of the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership
• Rural housing presents particular problems such as a lack of access to mains gas and solid-walled properties. These require their own solutions, involving close partnership with the community and locally relevant advice

Next steps.

CSEP plans to roll out the project across west Cornwall in 2003-2005 and then across the rest of the county. Community Energy Plus is bidding for funding to tackle a further five areas in Kerrier and a further five areas in Penwith. If successful, it is believed that this programme will be replicable on a large scale