Community Energy Efficiency Programme in the Southern Area of Northern Ireland
| Description | In order to tackle the impact of fuel poverty on health and wellbeing, the project uses a community development approach, for example to make presentations to groups, referrals to energy efficiency programmes, and train community representatives. |
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| Setting | TADA (Tyrone, Armagh, Down, and Antrim) Rural Support Network |
| Populationting | Those groups most at risk of fuel poverty, particularly older people, lone parent households and families with children under 16. |
| Intervention summary | The project uses a community development approach to build partnerships and links with existing community networks to encourage referrals to energy efficiency programmes. |
| Outcome Summary | Outcomes being measured include numbers of presentations to groups, referrals to energy efficiency programmes and numbers of community representatives undergoing training. |
| Startup Cost | The initial project costs were approximately £2500, involving office set up and IT. |
| Running Cost | A budget of £20 000 has been allocated annually for three years. The training trainers scheme costs £4000. Primary running costs include salary, publicity and meeting venues. |
| Funding | Southern Investing for Health Partnership’s Neighbourhood and Environment Issue Group. |
| Started | March 2006 |
| Ended | February 2009 |
| Location | Tyrone, Ireland; Armagh, Ireland; Down, Ireland; Antrim, Ireland. |
| Contact |
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Background
In order to tackle the impact of fuel poverty on health and wellbeing, the project uses a community development approach, for example to make presentations to groups, referrals to energy efficiency programmes, and train community representatives.
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
The risk of having no fuel, particularly in vulnerable households (especially older people, lone parent households and families with children under 16)
What local organisations are involved?
The project is run under the auspices of TADA (Tyrone, Armagh, Down, and Antrim) Rural Support Network, and works closely with Northern Ireland Electricity, National Energy Action, Eaga Warm Homes Scheme, Energy Saving Trust and local statutory and community groups.
How many people are running this project and who are they?
One part time community energy programme worker, managed and supported by TADA Rural Support Network
What local population are you targeting?
The project targets those groups most at risk of fuel poverty, particularly older people, lone parent households and families with children under 16.
How many people are you targeting?
We have direct contact with approximately 30 members of the target group a month through two workshops held per month. We also network with three relevant organisations in the voluntary statutory sector per month.
Interventions
What interventions are you using to address the problem?
The project uses a community development approach. It works from the community level upwards, thus ensuring the local target groups participate fully in the programme planning and role out. Conducting the work at a grass roots level enables partnerships and links to be built with existing community networks. This encourages referrals to other energy efficiency programmes, grants and schemes.
Is the project design based on evidence? If so, please state reference.
The programme design is based on the strategic planning and development models of other successful energy programmes based in the UK. For instance, there are reports from the National Energy Action Northern Ireland which show that providing advice and information to vulnerable and hard to reach target groups will assist in bringing those groups out of fuel poverty.
Outcome
What outcomes or planned outcomes are you measuring?
Outcomes being measured include numbers of presentations to groups, referrals to energy efficiency programmes and numbers of community representatives undergoing training.
Do you have any outcomes or results yet? If so, what are they?
Not yet.
Is your project relevant to a government target or guideline?
One of the targets of the regional public health strategy for Northern Ireland, Investing for Health 1 , focuses on the reduction of fuel poverty.
Feedback
What obstacles did you have to overcome to set up this project?
The first obstacle was making relationships with the local target groups and hard to reach audiences. Difficulties arose regarding stereotypes which some of the target groups hold with regard to “poverty”. Identifying factors which highlight fuel poverty issues, including the use of case studies, alleviated this problem. The community groups did not realise that anyone who spends over 10% of their income on fuel to heat their homes to an adequate standard of warmth (18-21°C), is considered to be suffering fuel poverty.
What have you learned about the project so far?
The programme has become very popular in the local target area and has generated a lot of media attention. As fuel poverty is a relatively new term in communities, it has caused some confusion and much interest at a local level.
A community worker in Craigavon working in a disadvantaged area wrote a letter to TADA Rural Support Network stating that “the programme was excellent…. I never would have realised staying warm was a real government issue until the workshop.”
The programme brings reality to government issues and policies to the people that they affect.
There is a genuine need at a local level to tackle fuel poverty and ensure people can afford to heat their homes to an adequate temperature for living.
What would you do differently?
Create more efficient mechanisms to record and monitor all referrals made. All individuals who participate in the programme are given information on the Warm Homes Scheme and other local schemes. However, it has been difficult to assess the number of people who went on to submit their applications and receive the available grants.