Bringing Warmth to Wyndford ‘Maybe they didn’t believe us that we would actually do it …’ (Cube)

Sample characteristics N interviewed=154 60% are 1-person households, 2, 3, 4, 5; Persons in households: 215 (66% male; 34% female) Interviewed at home between mid-October and mid-November 2012, interviews lasting between minutes on average.

Our targets

Characteristics DwellingLength of residence Age of respondents Social class

Survey topics Population & dwelling characteristics; Current (pre-change) heating & methods of payment, – including spending on energy vis-à-vis income; Coping with (lack of) heating; State of health of household; Hopes & expectations for new heating system.

Satisfaction with housing and heating

Some surprises … House satisfaction is – highest among those living there for one year (92%); – high among people in the multis (76%); – age and sex don’t vary much; Heating dissatisfaction is – highest among those living there for 1 year; – living in the multis; – and younger people (no sex differences). Long stayers, and those not living in multis, are most content with heating.

How keen are people to have new heating?

How cold was your home last winter?

So what did people do?

Paying for energy

Can they afford it? – not on these incomes…

How are people managing financially?

Electricity costs by payment method

Electricity costs by household income

Electricity costs by dwelling type

Electricity costs by number of bedrooms

What do they think they’ll end up paying in new system?

Has the disruption been worth it?

So do they look forward to the new system, then?

What is important to people?

So does any of this matter? Yes it does …. >80% say their house is a place where they feel safe; And >80% that it’s a place where they feel at home… BUT As many as 25% say it is a place they want to get away from, And more than half (56%) that they would move house if they could. Why? There are pragmatic reasons moving to a bigger or smaller house, getting old etc, but the largest number – 22% - say they want to get out of the area.

And the proof of the pudding… is in the heating