Dr Carolyn Snell and Dr Mark Bevan Supporting disabled people and families through energy efficiency measures: evidence from interviews Dr Carolyn Snell and Dr Mark Bevan Department of Social Policy and Social Work and Centre for Housing Policy University of York, UK 7th June 2018

Overview of session Focus on the practical elements first Identification of barriers to supporting households and recommendations that have come from project interviews Discussion about whether we have missed anything, whether these ring true We will then discuss wider policy level recommendations

Multiple challenges at different stages Policy settings e.g. eligibility Finding eligible households Take up and completion of measures

Barriers to accessing measures: the complexity caused by ECO Restrictive/changing eligibility criteria – e.g. benefits as proxies ‘By using proxies such as [welfare benefits]…if you are a low wage family or even a family with a disabled child but are working you never get picked up’ ‘Compared to Warm Front if you were eligible you got it…it didn’t shift according to how close companies were to hitting their targets and so on…’ [S8] Issues of cost – partial funding of work, upper limits, only some measures ‘It’s not the best model because we will turn away a lot of people because they’re too expensive to deliver to’ [S9] Mitigated by: impact of intermediaries/safe places For advice, help during eligibility checks Installation: the positive impact of a tailored approach v negative impact of one size fits all… ‘How do you actually deal with all those issues in terms of ‘I don’t want my install today as I have a hospital appointment’

Barriers to accessing measures: finding households It is difficult to find/access vulnerable households, especially through general targeting measures such as letter drops This corresponds with what we now know about how households engage with information: Households struggle to negotiate the ‘information minefield’ when researching energy efficiency measures There are substantial issues around trust when seeking information or receiving unsolicited information

Barriers to accessing measures: household concerns Additional household barriers to take up Household perceptions of eligibility Information, lack of trust in the energy industry (legacy of switching campaigns), capacity, fear Eligibility checks/screening process hard going Concerns about actual work ‘How do you actually deal with all those issues in terms of ‘I don’t want my install today as I have a hospital appointment’

Meet Mike Mike is disabled and lives in the PRS. He receives means tested benefits as a result of his disability…

At this point eligibility is largely determined by national policy decisions At this point likelihood of receiving measures is determined by factors such as data (and also cost) At this point installation is determined by communication, capacity and trust Will Mike get support?

Evidence of how these barriers have been addressed Evidence from interviews with those working within the energy efficiency field

Addressing eligibility criteria and cost Working to reduce the number of households excluded through eligibility criteria or cost Making use of ECO flex to overcome restrictive eligibility criteria – allows referrals of people not on benefits and at risk of fuel poverty Evidence of partnerships that allowed greater flexibility through top up funds – most common examples through health/LAs

Finding households Working with/through: children’s centres, schools, health settings, health visitors, social workers, housing teams, community groups, charities These organisations have specific community knowledge including how to find people and what they need Can refer households into schemes, can potentially support households through process

Encouraging take up and reducing drop out ‘One thing that we’ve learnt is that we can’t assume that [with vulnerable groups] a traditional customer approach is going to work at all well’ [S9]

Encouraging take up Value of ‘one touch’ services that provide multiple entitlement checks Provides more rounded support Improves legitimacy of energy efficiency schemes The importance of supporting households through the application process Trusted intermediaries Single point of contact The value of offline/online communities Exchange of information in a trusted environment Can try before you buy

Improving take up and reducing drop out Tailored support including home visits: ‘people have required...three or four one-to-one sessions, or multiple home visits’ Allows concerns to be fully discussed and addressed In many cases addresses issues of trust and reduces concerns about risk

Encouraging take up and reducing drop out Data suggests that a pre work agreement with the household would be of benefit: Action plan should outline what the household should expect during the work Clear plan of action detailing specific needs and how these will be addressed Point of contact should be identified

  The most positive experiences Information Clear, accurate, consistent, provided early on Assessment In person (home visit), same point of contact, personalised to needs Installation Is flexible to household needs, provides additional physical help if necessary, installers are aware of household needs Aftercare Provides swift resolutions to problems that have arisen, household can return to original point of contact

Summarising this…

…he is eligible for ECO assuming that his home is suitable for retrofit Mike received an entitlement check from a national charity supporting him with his condition. The charity has a partnership with an energy company. …the charity supported him through the process, helping him with various aspects of the installation

ELIGIBLE IDENTIFIED Mike’s installation was successful because he was… SUPPORTED

Questions for you… How far does this coincide with your experience? Have we missed anything? What would a guide written to support people involved in home energy efficiency measures look like? What would you like it to look like? In your experience what needs to happen to take this forward/what needs to change?

Thanks carolyn. snell@york. ac. uk @Carolyn_Snell @SPSW www. ukerc. ac Thanks carolyn.snell@york.ac.uk @Carolyn_Snell @SPSW www.ukerc.ac.uk @UKERCHQ