nedo project tenant engagement outcomes
TRANSCRIPT
NEDO Project
Tenant Engagement
Outcomes
Trevor Smith – Wigan Council
Elliot Simm- Northwards
Pearl Ashton – Six Town Housing
Confident Place, Confident People.
• For Registered Providers previous heating
improvements for tenants were always from
electric to gas – not gas to electric.
• Staff involved needed to be convinced that
electrical heating was the way forward to enable
them to “sell” air source heating systems to
tenants.
Challenges to success of the
scheme?
Confident Place, Confident People.
How did we change perceptions around
air source heating?
• Combination of different techniques –
tailoring the intervention to the audience
• Small steps over a period of time
• Making it relevant and timely
Undertake pilot installations to get some “buy in”
and tenant feedback.
Use pilots to produce a case study to help
communicate to others on how energy
efficient air source heating can be.
Develop a better understanding of the
technology to be installed.
Confident Place, Confident People.
NEDO Show Home
Broadband and Home
Gateway
Hybrid System
Show Home
Daikin ASHP Controller
The show home helped our customers to see the
system in operation and to find out about the energy
saving benefits that the system could bring .
Confident Place, Confident People.
What was our criteria for property
selection ?
• Property selection
- stock profiling exercise to identify properties which met three basic
criteria to start with (utilising the respective asset management databases);
1. Inefficient heating installations due for replacement.
2. Good levels of insulation
3. Exclude high rise blocks and some other types of
block flats
Confident Place, Confident People.
What was our tenant engagement
strategy?
• Produce a range of easy to understand literature to help
encourage tenants to take up the offer of air source
heating including sign up documentation.
• Agree incentives from the outset.
• Produce a flow chart for the various staff involved to
understand the process (including DNO checks).
• Appoint a Tenant Liaison Officer with a knowledge of
heating system replacement to answer questions.
• Ensure key stakeholders were on board via use of the
mobile display van on offer via Daikin.
• ‘Tight’ project team with Project Board co-ordinating.
What were the incentives for tenants to
participate in the scheme ?
Purpose:
• Recruiting tenants and
making the demonstrator
a success.
Incentives:
• Free broadband
• Free tablet computer
• Insulation upgrades
• Expert energy advice
• Monitoring equipment
• Digital training
• Telecare function(optional)
Confident Place, Confident People.
What was the process ?
• Initial letter drops to tenants with informative Question
and Answer leaflet (FAQs).
• Follow up with face to face visits when we;
Explained the project in detail and asked tenants to
commit via a tenant sign up pack (incl.
supplementary TA).
Explained the next steps about the need for a
technical survey and the requirement for an
energy assessment EPC
Explained how long the installation will take and
what is to be expected.
Confident Place, Confident People.
What were the barriers to tenant
engagement in the pilot ?
• Many tenants took up the opportunity of a new heating system,
although there was a high proportion of “drop outs” from the
numbers originally identified.
Main reasons for drop outs being;
• Older persons continuing to refuse heating upgrade due to
disruption within their home.
• Tenants unsure of the technologies being installed.
• Property not suitable for technical reasons.
• Other issues such as reluctance to remove laminate flooring or too
many tenant belongings within the property.
• Social issues within homes.
• Unsuitability to DNO infrastructure.
Confident Place, Confident People.
What were the successful
outcomes?
• A large number of tenants were very satisfied
with their new heating system and continue to
make substantial savings on their energy bills.
• Contributions to the Greater Manchester
Strategy of a cleaner greener city and reduced
CO2 Omissions
• A successful demand response pilot.
• Monitoring continues due to initial technical
issues but data will be invaluable.