Transcript Engaging energy efficiency

Consumer Focus and fuel
poverty
July 2012
Overview
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Consumer Focus and NEA forums
Communicating comfort
Fuel poverty resources
Local authority campaign
Why sponsor the NEA fuel poverty
forums?
Consumer Focus is the statutory watchdog for
energy consumers
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We want to:
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help you to help consumers
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share information about what works
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learn from the experiences of your clients
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use this to inform our energy policy work
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What do we do to help consumers?
Consumer Focus
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information, support and tools
help and empower consumers
communications and decisions about electricity & gas suppliers
interactive FAQ, ‘your energy questions’
consumer facing leaflets
letter templates for energy consumers & advice
providers
Online helpfinder
Information on switching energy supplier
Information about energy supplier performance.
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What do we do to help advisers?
Consumer Focus supports advisers and frontline staff
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Phone and on line:
http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/get-advice/advice-agencies
Username: Adviceprovider
Password: Info4you
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Advanced version of ‘your energy questions’
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Adviser factsheets
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Consumer Community email network
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Presentations – Policy into Practice
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What do we do to help advisers?
‘Ask the adviser’ telephone support service 0844 980 0041
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Provides guidance to advice agencies dealing with postal
or energy complaints on behalf of their clients
Can advise on how best to challenge a supplier and
details of relevant legislation
Not a referral service – allows advisers to retain case
handling.
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Engaging energy consumers in energy
efficiency
• New Consumer Focus research report
• “What’s in it for me?”
• 15 case studies: most address fuel poverty
The concept of exchange
• Consumers will take action if
the perceived benefits
outweigh the perceived costs
of, or barriers to, taking that
action
• Cost is a barrier, but is no
upfront cost enough?
• Other barriers such as hassle
• Where is the benefit?
Bring benefits forward
• Consumers want clear benefits in the short-term
• Payback is long-term
• Comfort, health and security may be more relevant
in the short-term
Case studies
• 15 case studies
• Mostly public sector - reflecting
current market
• No silver bullet
• Lessons
– Promoting benefits
– Reducing barriers
– Marketing energy efficiency
• Report and free workshops
Engaging energy efficiency
Conclusions
• Full learning and recommendations in our report on
www.consumerfocus.org.uk
• Challenges
– Evaluation needed to understand applicability elsewhere
– Partnerships necessary to build trust, without limiting
competition
– Trust, and other factors, will be bespoke to locality
– How will lessons be shared?
• Workshops: http://consumerfocus.eventbrite.co.uk/
Fuel poverty resources in England:
energy efficiency
• 2013: WF, CERT &
CESP end
• No replacement for
Decent Homes
• All Govt spend ends
• Only ECO
– Affordable Warmth
– Area programme
• £463m for fuel poor:
England only
• £540m for GB
Source: ACE (2012), National fuel poverty budgets, supplier obligation funds pro ratad for Eng only
Finding the money
• Energy Bill Revolution
www.energybillrevolution.org
• Coordinated by Transform UK
− research and advocacy
− major parliamentary campaign
•Recycle carbon revenues:
− energy efficiency programme
focused on fuel poor
− ‘fuel poverty proof’ homes: EPCB
standard
− almost all of fuel poor removed
from fuel poverty
Energy bill revolution supporters
Energy bill revolution:
Making the economic case
• EBR campaign is a key priority for CF and EFPC
– helped fund Verco research:
– EFPC encouraged supporters to join
• CF: funded macro-economic research
– Cambridge Econometrics & Verco
– compares impact of alternative stimulus programmes
– GDP, balance of payments and jobs
• Interim findings
– investment (£3 – 4bn pa) in EE has much larger impact than:
– investment in public services or government capital spending
• Final report due July
Local authority fuel poverty initiative
• Encourage local authority action against fuel poverty
• New opportunities
– new HECA guidance
– transfer of public health to local government
– Green Deal and ECO
• Survey of local authority fuel poverty activity
• ‘Local authority fuel poverty commitment’
– similar to Nottingham declaration on climate change
– written by EFPC & local authority specialists, with LGA advice
• Dedicated local authority website
Launch of commitment
• Islington Council: 17 October
• Agenda:
Minister
LGA
Public declaration of support
Islington Council
Another leading local authority
NEA
DECC: ECO communities fund
Health & Well-Being Board
National Pensioners Convention Launch of LA fuel poverty survey
• Seeking local authority signatories
• Public campaign
• More info from [email protected]
Identifying homes in need
• Bulk EPC data now available to certain organisations,
including local authorities
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf
/2121747.pdf
• All requests for bulk data should go to:
[email protected]