Successful Scheme Integration: Learning from Energy Efficiency Partnerships

1. Impetus Consulting How to Achieve Successful Scheme Integration Bryony Mathie

2. Impetus Consulting Overview • Learn from research commissioned by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for homes • Guidance on how to achieve scheme integration • Case studies • Discussion – exploring the issues • Summary of recent workshop sessions • The way forward

3. Impetus Consulting Background • Domestic energy and/or fuel poverty objectives, with funding or services from more than one source • LAOG commissioned research • On-the-ground practitioners • 2 reports produced • Making Integration Work’ • What examples of good practice in scheme integration already exist? • What can be learnt from these cases to facilitate successful integration?

4. Impetus Consulting Why Integrate? Save Agency • Overcome gaps in provision • A number of benefits • Enable the UK to meet targets Solar Grants Innovation programme SRB Clear Skies EEC Neighbourhood renewal EEACs Objective 1 Warm Front

5. Impetus Consulting Levels of integration • Fragmentation: • No coordination between schemes • Relationships between streams of provision are random • Signposting Model • Client contacts local coordinating agency • Organisation operating specific scheme contacts client carries out work • Limited integration • Coordinating agency works with providers so that funding or services from different streams can flow into the same household. • Full integration • Coordinating agency manages the total intervention process itself (may be one of the main providers rather than a separate agency)

6. Impetus Consulting Achieving good practice Research identified that careful attention to design and operation in the following areas : • Management and operations • Quality assurance • Client follow-up • Monitoring and development • Cost and cost-benefit issues • Aims and targets • Coverage • Partnership arrangements • Measures and services integrated • Funding • Marketing and take-up

7. Impetus Consulting Home Health Initiative • Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP) • Domestic Energy and Health Task Group • Features: • Multi-agency approach • Strategic approach • High participation rates • Pragmatic approach to roll-out

8. Impetus Consulting Home Health Initiative • Outcomes: • During pilot 62% homes surveyed received at least one installed measure; • Measures installed for 85% of community referrals. • With rollout: • Estimated over 3000 homes will receive at least one measure April 2003-March 2006; • Annual energy savings over 3.5m kWh/yr; • CO2 emissions reduced by over 211 tC/yr.

9. Impetus Consulting Investing in Energy • West Lothian Council • EEC social sector combined with private sector home repairs programme • Features: • Significant economies through use of same contractors • Unique advice shop feature with range of services • Highly effective

10. Impetus Consulting Fenland Integrated Energy Programme (FIEP) • Fenland District Council and Anglia West EEAC • Features: • Progressively expanded • Innovative Energy Tax Credit scheme • Tackles coverage gaps • Wider sustainability agenda

11. Impetus Consulting Warm and Well • Severn Wye Energy Agency • Features: • Health Practitioner referral • Consortium approach • Emphasis on monitoring and reviewing • Unique GEEG energy grant • Highly replicable

12. Impetus Consulting Achieving good practice Research identified that careful attention to design and operation in the following areas : • Management and operations • Quality assurance • Client follow-up • Monitoring and development • Cost and cost-benefit issues • Sustainability • Aims and targets • Coverage • Partnership arrangements • Measures and services integrated • Funding • Marketing and take-up

13. Impetus Consulting Aims and targets • Set clear aims and, where possible, quantitative targets for the scheme overall and for individual interventions

14. Impetus Consulting Aims and targets Fenland Integrated Energy Programme: • Aims include: • Social, economic and environmental benefits through sustainable projects • Affordable warmth for all throughout the district • Targets set through HECA strategy and include a fuel poverty reduction target of 30% and CO2 reduction of 20% by 2010

15. Impetus Consulting Coverage • Pay close attention to coverage • Consider: • Geographical level • Eligibility rules • Prioritisation rules • Volume of work • Timeframe

16. Impetus Consulting Coverage • Investing in Energy Programme • Wide and prioritised coverage • Covering whole region on a roll-out basis • House condition survey overlaid with data from the advice shop • Home Health Initiative • Only eligibility criteria was being resident in the target area • Traditionally hard to reach groups were successful targeted

17. Impetus Consulting Partnerships • Evolve local energy efficiency and fuel poverty work through nurtured partnerships that involve key local agencies

18. Impetus Consulting Partnerships • Warm and Well • Origins in the Affordable Warmth Strategy for Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire • Consortium approach for all seven local authorities • Investing in Energy • Partnership meeting initially every 2 weeks now monthly • Partnership reviews progress, quality and development

19. Impetus Consulting Measures and services • Design packages of measures and services that are sufficiently comprehensive to meet scheme aims and targets

20. Impetus Consulting Measures and services • Gloucestershire Warm and Well • Unique GEEG makes range of measures available • Represents a positive step towards a coherent county-wide approach

21. Impetus Consulting Funding • Make acquiring funding the central priority of any scheme and clearly link it to the scheme strategy

22. Impetus Consulting Funding CSEP’s Home Health project • Funding from a range of sources e.g. • EAGA Warm Front Grants • British Gas – ‘Here to Help’ scheme • Neighbourhood Renewal Fund • EST’s Innovation Programme • Kerrier Homes Trust • Penwith Housing Association • Home Office Safer Communities Initiative • New Opportunities SEED fund • RSLs contributed 50% to works on their properties

23. Impetus Consulting Marketing and take-up • Use creative and systematic approaches to marketing and publicity to gain the attention and interest of the target clients. • 3 approaches: • Publicity driven; • Street-by-street personal contact, and • Referral schemes.

24. Impetus Consulting Marketing and take-up Home Health Initiative • Extensive publicity through local media and community events • Referral network • Result: exceptionally high take up of measures

25. Impetus Consulting Management and operations • Ensure efficient day-to-day operations • Information systems to track project and keep partners up-to-date

26. Impetus Consulting Management and operations • Home Health Initiative • Good coordination of referrals with follow up • Database of client contacts and key partners • Key partners in adjacent offices

27. Impetus Consulting Other Elements • Implement a system of quality assurance to maintain the credibility of the project • Incorporate client follow-up in scheme design and operation to assess impact of intervention • Monitor scheme against aims and targets set and develop in light of this • Invest time in addressing cost effectiveness issues

28. Impetus Consulting Achieving good practice Research identified that careful attention to design and operation in the following areas : • Management and operations • Quality assurance • Client follow-up • Monitoring and development • Cost and cost-benefit issues • Sustainability • Aims and targets • Coverage • Partnership arrangements • Measures and services integrated • Funding • Marketing and take-up

29. Impetus Consulting Discussion • Issues? • Solutions? • Barriers?

30. Summary of regional workshops • 10 regional workshops in England and Wales held at HECA forums • Opportunity to discuss individual schemes • Identifying main barriers, including: • Ring-fenced funding • Lack of resources • Insufficient data • Identifying opportunities • Using the HECA forums • Partnerships • Community Strategies

31. Impetus Consulting Taking it forward • Review current schemes operating in the local area with energy efficiency/fuel poverty aims; • Identify current gaps in coverage and eligibility; • Raise internal awareness to secure senior level support; • Bring together potential partners, and • Make the most of the guidance available to plan action.

32. Impetus Consulting Further information For briefing note, case studies and presentation, contact Practical help: T: 0870 241 2089 F: 0870 130 8831 W: www.practicalhelp.org.uk E: info@practicalhelp.org.uk