Big Society, big bucks

Big Society localism is not a cheap fix for energy efficiency. Sarah Royston reports on emerging findings from the Energy and Communities research programme

People are influenced by their friends and neighbours more than businesses or the government. Existing community groups can act as ready-made channels for information and advice, reducing the need for costly (and often ineffective) mass marketing campaigns.

These are the ideas behind the “Big Society localism” currently evident in energy policy and a growing interest in community-based approaches to energy efficiency. Indeed, government interest in this idea has resulted in a £4 million research programme called Energy and Communities. UK universities launched seven projects in 2011, investigating a range of topics, from social norms around smart meters to how parenthood changes energy consumption. Findings from these projects are now being released, and revealing important lessons for current and future efficiency programmes (see box, The projects).

Some experts fear that this Big Society localism could be simply a way to shift responsibility for energy efficiency on to overstretched and underfunded community organisations. In a paper just published in the journal Local Environment, the Keele researchers warn that Big Society localism will fail unless it ensures the necessary financial resources, training and support are in place. While some better-off communities may be able to run grassroots projects, some of the communities most at risk of fuel poverty may be left in the cold, unable to invest the necessary time, money and skills.

Community-based approaches have significant potential for engaging so-called hard-to-reach groups, raising awareness and encouraging take-up of efficiency measures and behaviours. But this will only be realised if projects are equitably delivered and adequately resourced. Big Society localism is not a cheap fix for energy efficiency.

Sarah Royston is a researcher at the Association for the Conservation of Energy

Learned council

Local authorities up and down the country are sharing knowledge and experience to get better energy deals for people in their areas. Lee Jones reports

Councils have long played a key role in energy efficiency schemes, helping to deliver a raft of initiatives – from home insulation programmes to guidance on how to stay warm and manage bills. Despite massive budget cuts, these local authorities are aiming to do even more going forward to help residents cope with spiralling energy prices.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents local authorities in England and Wales, is encouraging councils to learn from each other and share best practice. Collective switching is a case in point. Since the first council-run initiative was launched by South Lakeland District Council in June 2012, more than 65 local authorities have set up or are in the process of developing schemes. That has given 6.5 million homes the chance to use their joint purchasing power to negotiate the best deals with their energy suppliers, over the last year alone.

The LGA estimates that almost 100,000 households have already got on board, and aims to inspire more authorities to get involved by developing a framework to make it cheaper and easier for councils to set up their own schemes. The association predicts that collective switching will grow significantly this year, helping residents to save on average between £60 and £250 on their annual gas and electricity bills.

Local authorities are also playing their part in the rollout of the Green Deal. Councils can act as brokers between customers and Green Deal providers, with some innovative partnerships already in place across the country.

For example, five local authorities in the North East, co-ordinated by Newcastle City Council, are currently leading the rollout of the scheme across their areas with a view to improving the energy efficiency of up to 15,000 homes. Elsewhere, Birmingham City Council will be delivering the Green Deal through Birmingham Energy Savers, partnering with Carillion Energy Services to improve the energy efficiency of up to 60,000 homes in the city, create more than 350 jobs and help 600 people into training.

Despite budgets being cut by up to a third by central government, and given that it is not a statutory service, local authorities and the LGA are having to be more innovative than ever to promote energy efficiency. The hard work continues.

Lee Jones is a freelance journalist

The projects

Reducing Energy Consumption through Community Knowledge Networks – Keele University.

Researchers worked with householders in a low-income area that had been targeted for assistance from companies, local authorities and charities. Worryingly, they found high levels of “intervention fatigue” and distrust of companies.

When interviewers asked householders about their experiences of energy company assistance, they were shown cupboards full of compact fluorescent light bulbs, the result of suppliers struggling to fulfil their Carbon Emissions Reduction Target obligations by posting 304 million bulbs (until this was stopped in April 2011). Doorstep visits and unsolicited phone calls about solar power, insulation and (in the past) supplier switching, had left many householders feeling harassed, even to the point of never answering their landline phones.

With negative experiences like these, it would not be surprising if people were unwilling to take up Green Deals. This backdrop also creates a serious challenge for companies recruiting eligible customers for Energy Company Obligation assistance.

As a result, there is growing interest in the use of “trusted intermediaries” such as local charities, service providers and community groups (see story below, Learned council). The Keele team set out to evaluate the effect of events and communications run by local people, for local people. For example, they helped create a special edition of a Residents’ Association newsletter with tips and pictures sent in by locals, and supported events at existing hubs such as community centres, churches and fetes. These grassroots interventions were an effective way of raising interest in energy efficiency, albeit on a small scale.

Smart Communities – Kingston University.

This is exploring the opportunities provided by community-level approaches. Here, participants have been given smart meters and encouraged to enter their weekly use into a website, where they receive feedback on how their consumption compares to that of others. The project also enables people to borrow “eco-gadgets” through a local library.

Energy Biographies – Cardiff University.

This project encourages participants to share their experiences of rising and falling energy consumption by posting stories on a website. Researchers believe that community-based approaches like these could help shift social norms and promote the sharing of knowledge about energy efficiency within social networks.

This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 21st June 2013.

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