Report: Awareness Programme for Policy Makers in Energy Efficiency in Low income housing (APPEEL)

Website: www.energy4policymakers.com

Tackling Fuel Poverty is much more than Investing in Energy Efficiency

A DG Energy & Transport SAVE co-funded comparative study of low-income housing within Newark & Sherwood District (UK), County Cork (Ireland), Perugia (Italy) & Bucharest (Romania) [1] has observed the different national approaches to setting domestic energy prices, providing subsidies, the extent & nature of regulation, and taxation on fuels, and concluded that the sum of these strategic issues can contribute significantly together with other measures.

This is re-affirmed within the UK where The Warm Homes Act 2000 places a statutory duty on the Government to eradicate fuel poverty by the year 2016, and where the 1996 to 2003 progress tackling fuel poverty within England has been attributed to:

• 19% Energy Efficiency: improvement take-up has risen with grants for those on low income
• 22% Fuel costs: that have been reduced by competition following the privatisation of utilities
• 61% Income levels: with pensions and benefits having risen for low-income households [2]

Newark & Sherwood pensioner with her new high performance boiler funded by a UK Government Warm Front Grant Who are the fuel poor? 90% chance householder is within lowest quartile of disposable income 68% likely to contain someone with long term sickness or disability 60% likely to be over 60-years old 32% likely if dwelling has no central heating 15% likely to contain families with children And for rural areas with no mains-gas, a 34% increased incidence of fuel poverty

Reflecting these key components, this SAVE contract has enabled Newark & Sherwood Energy Agency (UK) to develop partnership working with its local social and health stakeholders from the public, private, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors.

The Energy Agency has focused on its 38,000 private sector homeowner dwellings and for some years has been working towards fuel poverty proofing its local housing stock. 12% of local householders could not afford to be warm enough during the winter of 2002/3, a social problem costing the local Health Services an estimated €1.96m per annum. 23% of these private sector dwellings were found to be Capable of Delivering Affordable Energy (CODAE) to the most vulnerable householder, a single pensioner on a benefit income. However 94% of these dwellings could meet CODAE standards if provided with good quality central heating and basic cost effective insulation ... and provide a saving of 45% CO₂ emissions.

Anticipating that the European Directive for the Energy Performance of Buildings will be providing accurate energy audits of this homeowner housing stock using the UK's SAP Energy Label (an energy performance score of 1 to 120). The Energy Agency and it's expert partners The Energy Audit Company have developed SAP proxy indicators for CODAE suitable for each of the English regions - for Newark & Sherwood District, a SAP greater than 60 will provide affordable energy to the most vulnerable single pensioner householder. A Database has been developed to capture and analyse these SAP energy audits. The UK Government has yet to decide whether it will share the European Directive energy audit data with its local municipalities, these Council's having a statutory strategic responsibility for the condition of their local housing stock.

This 2003/5 SAVE contract Awareness Programme for Policy Makers in Energy Efficiency in Low Income Housing required each partner to undertake energy auditing studies of their housing stocks and to develop and deliver education and training measures for local key decision makers and for low-income householders. Details are available on the project website (see above). The project was co-ordinated by County Cork Energy Agency of Ireland.

1 www.energy4policymakers.com/pages/billsstudy para 6, page 30. Dr Bill Sheldrick, Alembic Research.

2 "The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, 3rd annual report 2005" para 4.9. HMSO ref DTI URN 05/353.

To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
Building Certification : Buildings : Energy Audits : Energy Efficiency : Heat/Heating : Refurbishment of Buildings : SAVE II Programme 1998-2002

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Cork County Energy Agency

Energy Action Ltd

AEA - Agenzia per l'Energia e l'Ambiente della Provincia di Perugia

Intertermo Concept Ltd

NSEA - Newark & Sherwood Energy Agency