COUNTING THE COST OF ENERGY The impacts of rising energy costs in affordable housing

Transcription

1 COUNTING THE COST OF ENERGY The impacts of rising energy costs in affordable housing England and Wales Funded by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes Scottish Managed Housing Group Endorsed by the Housing Corporation and the Chartered Institute of Housing

2 CONTENTS This guide was developed as part of a project commissioned and funded by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes Managed Housing Strategy Group, entitled The Impact of Rising Fuel Prices in Managed Housing. The authors would like to thank the Partnership and the Group for their support. For full acknowledgements and background, please refer to the back cover. Who this guide is intended for 1 Why tenants energy costs matter 2 Where the high-cost homes are 3 Which homes to look out for 3 Finding the high-cost homes 4 Taking action 5 Hard measures 5 Soft measures 11 Highlighting the benefits 13 Drawing in funds 13 Future proofing homes and business 13 1

3 WHO SHOULD READ THIS This guide is intended for housing professionals in both local authorities and housing associations. Specifically this guide is designed to help housing managers, asset managers and tenant liaison officers but will help to inform senior staff and board members. Housing associations and local authorities should be justifiably proud of their record in delivering energy efficient homes. On average their homes stand head and shoulders above all other sectors. However, this is no longer enough. Energy costs have already risen by forty to fifty per cent since And these rises are having a disproportionate impact on housing association and local authority tenants with the numbers in fuel poverty trebling. There may be short-term falls in energy prices as new supplies come on stream, but the longterm projection is for steadily rising energy prices as the UK imports more whilst global energy consumption continues to increase. Rising energy costs will have significant impacts on the long-term sustainability of much of the housing stock by affecting demand and affordability of homes. It is important that landlords recognise this and put in place strategies to protect revenue streams and to deliver homes that are warm and comfortable. This guide will help you to identify the homes at risk and the range of options and solutions available. While the task should not be underestimated, many of the solutions can be delivered at low or no cost if they are approached correctly. In simple terms these can be split between hard measures that improve homes, and involving tenants in lowering their energy costs directly referred to as soft measures. As such, the guide is divided into two main parts to make the case for (the what) and signpost to appropriate resources regarding (the how) each of these complementary approaches. It begins, however, by addressing the question of why tenants energy costs should matter, followed by an outline of how to identify the stock and households where this question matters. No guide can ever purport to be a one-size-fits-all, so in the section on hard measures, steps that can be taken are graded into: First steps Going further Going even further There is a vast amount of information on lowering tenants energy costs available, which is why aside from making the case this guide strongly features signposting to carefully selected resources to save the reader s time and help avoid embarking down blind alleys. The guide finishes by summarising and illustrating the benefits to the business of housing provision. 1

4 WHY TENANTS ENERGY COSTS MATTER Rising fuel prices have had a large impact on energy bills over the last four years. In local authority housing, the average energy bill has gone up from 616 in 2004 to around 900 in January Similarly, in housing association homes, the average bill has risen from 565 to over 800 rises of approximately 45%. Increases of this magnitude are likely to affect the affordability of accommodation for tenants. On average, energy bills at the end of 2006 took up 5% of housing association tenants income and six per cent of local authority tenants income. For 20% of households renting accommodation from local authorities, and 13% renting from RSLs, the expenditure on energy bills is more than ten per cent of income, a level deemed unacceptable by government (see box). This expenditure constitutes a large and growing share of accommodation costs second only to rent in this way affecting its affordability. For housing providers, this poses a risk over the medium-term of tenants becoming less able to afford or pay their rent on time. From autumn 2008 all homes will have to be given an A to G rating and energy certificate when they are let. This will allow tenants to make informed decisions about the affordability of any housing offer. There are numerous steps that can be taken to minimise these risks. Indeed, most steps present an opportunity to housing providers by improving the attractiveness of accommodation, strengthening reputation and improving the reliability of rent payments. The next section focuses on presenting a simple approach to identifying which homes and households pose the most significant risks and the opportunities for action. What is fuel poverty? A household is said to be in fuel poverty when it needs to spend more than 10% of its disposable income on fuel to keep a warm and well-lit home. The government has a statutory responsibility in England to end fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010, and in all households by In Wales, the deadlines are 2010 and For more information on fuel poverty and its implications, see the sister guide Introducing fuel poverty to landlords. 2

5 WHERE THE HIGH-COST HOMES ARE WHICH HOMES TO LOOK OUT FOR Three factors influence the nature of homes whose tenants are at higher risk of struggling to pay their energy costs: 1) Is the home is in a more urban or more rural area? 2) Is it an older or newer building? 3) Are the occupants likely to be more vulnerable than some other households? More specifically: Homes in rural areas are less likely to be connected to the gas network. In off-gas homes, more expensive heating fuels have to be used. Older homes, mostly those built before the 1950s, are much more likely to have solid walls. Tenants will normally face significantly higher heating bills in these properties because more heat escapes than through cavity walls. Vulnerable tenants include the elderly, the long-term sick and disabled, and families with children, in particular when in receipt of benefits such as income support or housing benefit. Where one or more of these apply it is likely that residents may struggle to afford their home s energy cost. The darker shades in the overlapping areas of the diagram below illustrate how combinations of these factors present a higher risk: There are seven combinations of these factors shown by the diagram. The following list ranks them according to which are most likely to present a situation with high or unaffordable energy costs. Those higher up in the list ought to be prioritised for intervention using both hard and soft measures: Homes in rural areas (no gas connection) vulnerable, off-gas, solid walls vulnerable, off-gas vulnerable, solid walls off-gas, solid walls vulnerable Increasing affordability Older homes (built before the 1950s, with solid walls) Vulnerable tenants (lower income, elderly, sick, young families) off-gas solid walls none of the above 3

6 Finding the high-cost homes Using stock condition survey Profiling the housing stock to identify the above groups should be fairly easy to do, using stock condition survey data and cross-referencing it with information about tenants household makeup. This highlights how two very distinct issues are at stake. On the one hand, minimising energy costs is about taking steps to improve dwellings, irrespective of who lives in them. On the other, steps can be taken to improve the households specific circumstances. These are the steps referred to as hard and soft measures respectively. Partnering with energy suppliers An alternative or complementary means of identifying the homes with potential for lowering energy costs is through partnership with an energy supplier under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target. Not only can an energy supplier help to profile the stock, they are also obligated to support vulnerable households and can help source, finance and install hard measures. The first phase of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (from 2008 to 2011) requires gas and electricity suppliers to deliver improvements in housing carbon dioxide emissions and energy efficiency that will correspond with an overall lifetime emissions saving of 42 million tonnes of carbon between 1 April 2008 and 31 March All licensed gas and electricity suppliers with at least 50,000 domestic customers will have to meet a target. Suppliers must achieve 40% of the carbon savings in low-income households. Decent Homes Standard and Housing Health and Safety Rating System Homes already flagged as failing the Standard s thermal comfort criterion of effective insulation and efficient heating are priority candidates for improvement. Hazards that the Safety Rating System identifies require remedial action. Homes posing one hazard in particular, that of Excess Cold, may offer many opportunities for implementing hard measures as part of ongoing maintenance and refurbishment programmes. Using energy certificates When energy certificates are required, the information they contain will provide an accurate indication of the energy costs of the dwelling. The certificates information is presented much like the labels found on fridges, washing machines and light bulbs. Furthermore, as illustrated in the table below, the certificates will provide quantitative information on the energy costs, both current and potential i.e. after implementing cost-effective improvements, such as a better boiler. Current Potential Lighting per year per year Heating per year per year Hot water per year per year 4

7 TAKING ACTION HARD MEASURES What to do: first steps The grid below shows the types of homes with the highest energy costs. The hard measures across the top of the grid are the ordered, from left to right, by lowest cost. They represent the nine cheapest measures conventionally available to reduce energy costs. Where boxes in the grid are marked with an x, the measures can be implemented in the corresponding type of home in that row. Measures, where applicable, should be implemented from left to right. Internal and external wall insulation are not complementary and should be considered alternatives. The further top and left in the grid, the higher the priority for the measure to reduce the risks of high or unaffordable energy costs; conversely, the priority is lower the further to the bottom and right of the grid. low energy lights cavity wall insulation loft insulation internal wall insulation draughtproofing condensing combi boiler solar hot water external wall insulation air source heat pump vulnerable, off-gas, solid walls x x x x x x x vulnerable off-gas x x x x x x vulnerable solid walls x x x x x x x off-gas, solid walls x x x x x x x vulnerable x x x x x x off-gas x x x x x x solid walls x x x x x x x none of the above x x x x x x 5

8 Below are the key measures in more detail. It shows their installed cost and impact on reducing energy costs (based on an average terraced house), as well as signposts to further information. Measure Description Installed cost Impact on lowering energy costs low energy lights Four compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Can be fitted into ordinary bulb fittings. Approx 12 (often free through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) 10 a year tinyurl.com/yq5lb8 draughtproofing Involves sealing draughty windows and doors, as well as disused fireplaces. 200 (often free through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) a year, depending on heating fuel tinyurl.com/2vm8oh cavity wall insulation Insulation material is blown into the cavity in the exterior wall of the house. 400 (often free through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) a year, depending on heating fuel tinyurl.com/2sqte5 loft insulation Most homes have loft insulation, but in many cases can be topped up to make it more effective. 400 full install / top-up (often free through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) full top-up tinyurl.com/3xxv5y pp internal wall insulation Also dry-lining. Likely to be disruptive for tenants and reduces floor space. Effective and cheaper than external wall insulation 1500 (often subsidised through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) a year, depending on heating fuel tinyurl.com/2nh96f condensing gas boiler Condensing gas boilers are now mandatory for replacements and are cheaper to run than non-condensing boilers boiler only (often subsidised through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) a year, depending on insulation levels tinyurl.com/377y8e solar hot water Can provide most of a home s hot water needs, costs very little to run and has little to no maintenance requirements. 4,100 (grant funding available) tinyurl.com/27z8t8 external wall insulation More expensive than dry-lining, but has a greater impact on reducing energy costs. 1, depending on whether installed as part of wider improvements or done seperately a year, depending on heating fuel Basic: tinyurl.com/2ru96u Detailed: tinyurl.com/2e62pn air-source heat pump Appropriate for relatively small homes as a lower energy cost alternative to electric flat panel or storage heating systems. 8,500 including wet heating system (grant funding available) a year, depending on insulation levels Basic: tinyurl.com/2jsxup Detailed: tinyurl.com/2u7spc Energy suppliers under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target can potentially contribute to funding and coordinating the installation of all of the above measures. Future incarnations of the Target (to be known as the Supplier Obligation from 2011) will allow energy suppliers to support a wider range of measures, possibly to most or all of those listed in the going further and further afield sections below. 6

9 One of the most important steps you can take is to establish an ongoing partnership with an energy supplier. This will maximise the funding you receive and often leads to other benefits such as access to new and innovative technologies and products. Partnership with an energy supplier under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target is attractive to both housing providers and the energy supplier(s) involved. As half the energy savings required of energy suppliers have to be achieved in low-income, vulnerable households, partnership with housing providers makes it easier for them to fulfil this obligation. For housing providers, the benefit is in terms of support in identifying which hard measures are most appropriate, levering in funding for these measures (most of those listed above) from energy suppliers, and receiving significant support in coordinating the works to be carried out. Above all, partnership with an energy supplier lends itself very well to housing improvement programmes and meeting the Decent Homes Standard and/or the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. What to do: going further Further reductions in tenants energy costs can be achieved using renewable energy technologies, sometimes referred to as microgeneration. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform offers grants to housing providers covering a range of renewables which aside from solar water heating includes photovoltaics, micro-wind turbines, wood-fuelled boilers and ground source heat pumps. Generally speaking, renewables are more attractive and viable options in rural housing, in particular where housing is off the gas network. The Energy Saving Trust guide referred to below has been designed for housing providers and offers an introduction to the merits of microgeneration in rural homes. Energy Saving Trust; housing providers guide to integrating renewable technology ology_enw.pdf BERR; Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 What to do: going even further Depending on a wide range of factors, including rurality and how housing is clustered, it may be feasible to consider a community or district heating approach to lowering energy costs. The Energy Saving Trust maintains a guide on community heating, drawing together a wide variety of resources, including how to attract finance and set up an energy service company to manage such schemes. Energy Saving Trust; housing providers guide to community heating and combined heat and power 7

10 How to do it: first steps Specification reviews When procurement specifications are under review, it can be a good time to consider integrating energy-saving considerations into the specifications for household appliances, windows and lighting. These items have certified energy ratings, making it easier to specify those with energysaving properties, as well as not necessarily costing more than products with poorer ratings. Planned maintenance Where planned maintenance is carried out, there is an opportunity to replace old lamps with energy saving light bulbs. Maintenance also offers a chance to check for disused fireplaces and ensure windows and doors shut or are sealed properly. Draughty windows and doors can easily and cheaply be improved using draught-stripping, and disused fireplaces can be sealed. Decent Homes programmes Decent Homes presents an opportunity to meet and exceed the Standard s thermal criterion by installing the most efficient boilers where they are being replaced and ensure that sufficient loft insulation is put in place. Where needed, replacement windows also lower energy costs, and are now labelled in much the same way as fridges and light bulbs. FENSA, the trade body for installers of doors and windows, can help identify companies that install certified energy-saving windows. Where kitchens need refurbishment or replacement, there is an opportunity to specify energy-saving fridges, dishwashers and washing machines. Energy suppliers under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target can supply efficient kitchen appliances at bulk discounts. Major refurbishment Depending on the nature and scale of major refurbishment requirements, there is an opportunity to consider integrating most hard measures into plans. In particular, where scaffolding needs to go up to refurbish exteriors anyway, there is a chance to apply external wall insulation or render to homes with solid walls. With scaffolding already up, the additional cost of doing this is significantly lower. Where homes are unoccupied for refurbishment, otherwise intrusive activities such as internal wall insulation or heating system replacements can be considered. How to do it: going further Partnership with an energy supplier This is as mentioned above under What to do: first steps. The links below refer to the relevant sections of the Energy Saving Trust s guide for housing providers. Energy Saving Trust; housing providers guide to obtaining funding from energy suppliers Joining the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Depending on the size and scale of housing provided it can be beneficial to join the LSP. Every local authority in England has one. They are designed to bring together a wide range of public and private sector partners to help deliver a better local environment. LSPs work together to develop Local Area Agreements and Sustainable Community Strategies. 8

11 Being a member of a LSP will help develop cross-sector partnerships. Improving the affordability of housing by lowering energy costs meets the priorities of a number of different partners and can help secure funding from a wider range of sources. For example, making housing affordable for tenants this way will also mean that their home is both a warmer and healthier environment, thus reducing the winter burden on the health service nearly always a major partner in LSPs. Neighbourhood Renewal Unit; information on LSPs Health Housing and Fuel Poverty Forum ort=asc&limit=0 Turning to EST Advice Centres (ESTACs) & Affordable Warmth Partnerships Due to present and future rises in energy prices and the increasing urgency to reduce carbon dioxide emissions there is a network of 49 Energy Saving Trust Advice Centres (ESTACs) across the UK providing free energy advice to all householders dialling connects to the local ESTAC. They can provide telephone advice to tenants, as well as complete a Home Energy Check questionnaire which will generate a free personalised report on how they can save energy in their home. The local ESTAC may also be keen to work with housing providers, typically through a tenant liaison officer or energy manager, to help raise awareness at local events or deliver training to tenants as well as staff. ESTACs are often members of the local Affordable Warmth Partnership (normally under the Local Strategic Partnership umbrella). Contacting the local ESTAC is one good way of building links to the LSP, in particular the Affordable Warmth Partnership. National Energy Action have published a good guide to the latter. Energy Saving Trust; contacting ESTACs National Energy Action; building Affordable Warmth Partnerships Improvements during stock transfer Local authorities, arms length management organisations and voluntary stock transfer organisations have an opportunity in the stock transfer process to take steps to minimise tenants energy costs by installing hard measures. For local authorities seeking additional stars in order to enable stock transfer to an ALMO, or for existing ALMOs seeking to improve performance following inspection, the development of an affordable warmth strategy can demonstrate qualities in leadership and governance, customer focus, resident involvement, performance management, effective use of resources and SMART planning. Energy Saving Trust; guide to Integrating energy efficiency in housing stock transfer in England National Energy Action; Housing Transfers and Affordable Warmth 9

12 How to do it: going even further Regeneration, demolition/sale and new build Housing clearance and regeneration have traditionally been focused on areas with low demand and value. These areas often qualify for regeneration funds which make them attractive sites for both local authorities and housing associations. Simply rebuilding housing in marginalised and dilapidated communities will not regenerate them. The successful regeneration of communities will require an active partnership between local residents and local and central government, so creating affordable housing that has been sensitively adapted to the needs of local people. The Government s five year plan for the development of sustainable communities, Sustainable Communities: People, Places and Prosperity puts these principles at its heart. The complexity and scale of regeneration projects makes building on existing experiences even more important. Below are some exemplar projects in which residents have played a central role. Energy Saving Trust; Beacon Community Regeneration Project, Falmouth (case study) renewal.net; housing and environment Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Demolition, relocation and affordable rehousing Section 106 (S106) agreements New stock will of course have lower average energy costs than old housing. Relevant in particular when stock is being replaced, an increasing proportion of new affordable housing is now being delivered through S106 planning agreements (where planning permission for private developments is conditional on a contribution to affordable housing). Public subsidy is still very important for S106 provision with over 75% of all completions requiring some Social Housing Grant (SHG). Grant costs per home appear similar to those funded through public subsidy, with contributions from private developers covering the higher costs of land in S106 locations. Where local authorities are the landowner and they are selling the land to a private developer, they have further scope to obtain affordable housing at no or low cost through S106. This is typically done by selling the land at a discounted price in return for affordable housing or community developments. Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Delivering affordable housing through Section English Partnerships 10

13 SOFT MEASURES What to do and how to do it As with any undertaking in which technology is a factor, human involvement is at least equally important for achieving success. The ways in which tenants can be involved in reducing (the proportion of their income spent on) energy costs are in this guide referred to as soft measures predominantly income and energy use management. In contrast to hard measures for housing, all tenants stand to gain immediately from the soft measures listed below. Furthermore, these services become especially critical when tenants energy costs remain an intractably high proportion of income even after housing improvements. Most of these also offer the opportunity of empowering tenants with respect to their involvement as users of housing services and increasing the positive influence they have over their accommodation. If prioritisation of delivering soft measures to households is necessary, the same order of priority as described in the section on Which homes to look out for is applicable. Energy use advice When hard measures have been installed into tenants homes, in particular where heating systems are upgraded or replaced, advice on the use of their new system is necessary to ensure they do indeed lower energy costs. Of course, where no housing improvements have been recently undertaken, energy advice can help tenants manage their energy costs better, in terms of turning down thermostats, switching off lights and appliances and closing curtains. What is important to consider is the notion that any advice is better than none does not hold true, nor does a one size fits all approach. Tenants are likely to be the most knowledgeable about the ins and outs of their home and heating system, so energy advice provision must take into account the tenant s particular situation, both in terms of the home and the household such as ensuring that heating systems are set such that they suit the household s lifestyle and comfort requirements. The two main providers of energy use advice are the Energy Saving Trust s network of Advice Centres and energy suppliers advice services. Both services are capable of tailoring advice to household needs to some degree and can handle enquiries from both staff and tenants. Currently, quality for advice provision is only voluntarily assured through the Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice though the energy regulator (Ofgem) monitors energy suppliers advice provision. Its website lists which energy advice providers can provide face-toface advice, as well as most of the energy suppliers services. Energy Saving Trust; contacting Advice Centres Domestic Energy Efficiency Advice Code of Practice; advice providers Switching energy supplier and social tariffs Switching to an energy supplier with the lowest available tariff can save tenants a significant amount of money. According to energywatch, the independent gas and electricity watchdog, households could be spending 100 more than they have to each year. The prospect of saving 11

14 money on bills is not difficult to sell as an idea, but in practice, tenant liaison officers could help facilitate the switching process and ensure that the choice is well-informed, taking into account issues such as the duration of guaranteed price ceilings and savings achievable by switching payment methods. The first port of call for both tenants and/or staff should be energywatch, who also accredit other independent sources of advice on switching supplier. Some energy suppliers offer discounted social tariffs for certain low-income or vulnerable household groups. Though still fairly uncommon, social tariffs are becoming increasingly prevalent, and it may be possible to negotiate a social tariff agreement with energy suppliers. However, attention to detail here is paramount, as some suppliers social tariffs may be more costly than others standard tariffs. Energywatch Ensuring tenant buy-in and/or encouraging and supporting tenant participation With any programme of housing improvement, it is of course crucial to ensure tenants are involved from the outset and fully consulted. Where housing providers identify housing improvements for lowering tenants energy costs as a priority for investment, residents may be inclined to disagree, in particular when other options for housing improvement such as kitchen and bathroom renewal could be on the table. Tenant buy-in is the first step to ensure that tenants are able to appropriate the maximum benefit in terms of lowered energy costs. This will also enhance the chances of success of any other soft measures delivered. There are many sensitive issues surrounding income and energy use management due on the one hand to the private nature of tenants financial situations, and the potential intrusiveness of strangers providing advice on both energy and income on the other. This can affect the efficacy of advice as well as whether advice is acted upon at all. Ensuring early tenant buy-in to housing improvements can avoid some of these problems cropping up later, but it will pay to facilitate the empowerment of tenants to take these matters which are ultimately very personal into their own hands. Most people are much more likely to act upon the advice of friends and neighbours rather than strangers. Tenant liaison officers can work with tenant groups to provide them with the appropriate signposting, such as the resources described below, to use in newsletters if they exist, or to share out and discuss amongst themselves. Good tenant participation can also act as a source of feedback and informal quality control by tenants of steps taken by housing providers to improve the affordability of accommodation by lowering energy costs. The Tenants Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) provides useful resources for both housing management and residents. The Community Action for Energy (CAfE) scheme provides a range of resources for community networks and building bottom-up support for energy-saving housing improvements, energy use and income management advice. TPAS; Resident Involvement Quality Toolkit (for staff) TPAS; Energy Efficiency for Tenants (for staff and tenants) Energy Saving Trust; Community Action for Energy 12

15 HIGHLIGHTING THE BENEFITS DRAWING IN FUNDS Integrating the hard measures proposed in this guide into the overall effort to maintain and improve the housing stock offers the opportunity to draw in external, additional funds for investment: The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target in particular which can help fund most of the first steps hard measures. This should be the number one priority of any strategy; Funds from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; Expertise from others in Local Strategic or Affordable Warmth Partnerships, who may have different objectives, but share the means of lowering tenants energy costs through investment. In parallel, empowering tenants to take advantage of the advice and support services described here as soft measures, is like drawing in funds for housing customers directly in addition to the penny saved is a penny earned results that hard measures contribute to achieving. FUTURE-PROOFING HOMES AND BUSINESS Improved affordability With energy costs being the second largest housing cost for tenants after rent, lowering them as a proportion of tenants income is a major means of improving the affordability of accommodation without needing to place downward pressure on rent. Improved affordability means that tenants are less likely to miss rent payments, and can also free up their resources to make other living costs, such as childcare or care for the elderly or infirm, more affordable. Improved housing quality and liveability Hard measures will enhance liveability and tenants quality of life directly. With elderly tenants in particular, this improves the potential for a dwelling to genuinely offer a home for life. As a dividend, hard measures will also augment the asset value of the improved stock. Fulfilling legal requirements Taking just a few of the first steps to implement hard measures could already meet and exceed the Decent Homes thermal comfort criteria in many homes as well as avoid the Housing Health and Safety Rating System s classification of dwellings as posing an 'Excess Cold' hazard. Opportunities for tenants Energy and sustainability issues can be an opportunity for tenants to help each other, work together and with landlords to improve their communities. Some tenants may even become encouraged to acquire the skills to insulate homes and install new heating systems. 13

16 The Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes is a network of over 400 organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors. By working together we aim to reduce the energy consumed by UK households as well as the number of people who are unable to sufficiently heat their homes during winter (known as fuel poverty). For more information, including on joining the Partnership, please visit Acknowledgements The development of this guide was commissioned and funded by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes Managed Housing Strategy Group and carried out by the Association for the Conservation of Energy, the Centre for Sustainable Energy and Dr Richard Moore. This print run was funded by the Energy Saving Trust. The authors are very grateful to the Partnership and the members of the Group, including (to name but a few) Places for People, the Housing Corporation and National Energy Action for their support and feedback. Additional and very welcome input was provided by the Tenants Participation Advisory Service. Association for the Conservation of Energy Centre for Sustainable Energy Places for People Housing Corporation Chartered Institute of Housing National Energy Action Energy Saving Trust