Project Leapfrog: How communities ‘left behind’ by the transition to mains gas will receive the transition to low carbon heating.

Project Leapfrog aims to promote a fair transition to low carbon heating (LCH), by preventing communities who’ve experienced a ‘leapfrog effect’ – were late to, or never connected to mains gas – from being left (even further) behind. Furthermore, it will identify opportunities for them to “leapfrog” to the front of the LCH transition.

We will explore opportunities and barriers to transitioning to LCH for ‘Late or Never on Gas Grid’ (LoNoGG) communities, including rural off-grid homes and former mining communities (who delayed connecting to gas because they received free or subsidised coal), who have emotional and cultural attachments to traditional fuels (coal, wood etc.) despite higher expense, inconvenience and pollution.

Drawing on primary qualitative interview data, we will examine complex and diverse cultural, emotional, social, relational, political and practical factors shaping  ‘Late or Never on Gas Grid’ (LoNoGG) communities’ perceptions of their energy history and how that impacts their attitudes to the LCH transition. This analysis will inform pathways to prevent them being further left behind, while exploring factors that could be leveraged to “leapfrog” them to the front.

An engagement and dissemination strategy will be co-designed with partners and implemented to optimise impact with decision makers, community groups, residents, and academic audiences.

Taking a comparative case study approach, we will collect data from rural and former mining communities who were late to, or never connected to mains gas. Qualitative data will be collected via semi structured interviews to identify residents’ needs, hopes and fears relating to the LCH transition. We will work collaboratively with participants in the project’s early stages to identify other ways to record data, e.g. photos or diaries. Participants will be recognised as research partners, enabling them to influence data collection methods and output formats.

This impactful project will contribute to a low energy future for rural and former mining communities who were late to, or never connected to mains gas, identifying pathways to avoid repeating historical energy injustices and opportunities for them to “leapfrog” to the front of the LCH transition.