Re-imagining home energy advice in the UK

Katherine Sugar, Victoria Kasprowicz, Madeleine Pauker, Stefan Bouzarovski, Donal Brown, Elizabeth Lansell, Mari Martiskainen, Uttara Narayan, Sarah Higginson

Many people across the United Kingdom (UK) are seeking advice on how to make their homes warmer and cooler, cheaper to run, healthier to live in, and more environmentally friendly. Rising energy bills and living costs have made the need for advice more urgent.

Ongoing research in the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC) shows that home energy advice – from emergency help for energy bill debt to deep retrofit – is crucial for warmer and cooler, healthier and more energy efficient homes. By retrofit we mean the upgrading of existing buildings to improve their energy efficiency, e.g. in terms of appliances, heating systems or the building fabric.

Home energy advice offered by energy advisors within third sector organisations provides an important lifeline for households. However, due to a lack of service coordination and funding challenges, in-person energy advice is unevenly spread across the UK. As a result, many people are unable to access the advice they need or do not know where the advice exists. Government campaigns to address this have so far proven ineffective.
Short-term funding for energy advice providers means that organisations cannot develop the long-term trusted relationships with households and suppliers needed to help people make energy upgrades to their homes. The competitive and fragmented nature of funding has also led to energy advisors working in isolation, rather than combining efforts.

There is an urgent need to re-imagine home energy advice. We recommend the provision of a nationally coordinated, locally delivered energy advice service [1] which is integrated with comprehensive housing support hubs. A dedicated national public awareness campaign could also help households understand how to access such support.

1. Establish a nationally coordinated and locally delivered home energy advice framework:
   a national framework would significantly improve the coordination of home energy advice services across the UK while enabling locally tailored delivery. This would formally standardise best practices, build knowledge and expertise, develop skills, secure supply chains, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure equitable access regardless of location. Sustained multi-year funding from government would provide energy advice providers with the stability needed to build and maintain capacity, as well as to continue home visits to offer tailored home energy advice and to support those facing the greatest barriers to home energy wellbeing.
   As already well-established, experienced, and trusted bodies, HIAs could be transformed into comprehensive housing support hubs. Increased, long-term funding would allow them to link with expanded national programmes on health, well-being, and the environment. These organisations could serve as single points of contact for households needing assistance with home energy improvements, repairs and adaptations.
2. A public information campaign for home energy improvements: an accompanying nationwide public information campaign would demystify home energy improvement processes and highlight success stories. It would explain the benefits of home energy improvements, available funding options, and how to access support through advice centres.