2. CONTENTS
NEA Focus ISSUE 9, SUMMER 2015
Published by NEA External Affairs
Directorate
Editor
HEATHER CRITCHLOW
heather.critchlow@nea.org.uk
Production
BRIANHART
brian.hart@nea.org.uk
Printed by
info@gti-direct.com
Contributions are welcome, please
contact the editor.
(C) 2015 NEA
NEA is an independent charity,
Registration No. 290511. Company
limited by guarantee. Registered in
England and Wales 1853927.
Registered office: West One, Forth
Banks, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PA
www.nea.org.uk
NEWNEA STAFF
We’re pleased to announce that there have been a number of changes and new
staff that have recently joined NEA. Please check our website for an up-to-date
list of staff contact details www.nea.org.uk/About-us/organisation-chart. We
hope that you get to meet the new members of our team soon!
CONGRATULATIONS HELEN!
Helen Roach, NEA Cymru’s Development Officer, recently gave birth to a beautiful
baby girl called Magwen Ariadne. Both mum and baby are doing well and NEA
wishes Helen and her family many congratulations!
CHESSHIRE LEHMANN FUND BURSARY
The Chesshire Lehmann Fund is offering to support the cost for two Masters or
PhD students/researchers to attend NEA’s 2015 Conference (see page 3).
To be eligible for a free place you must be a Masters or PhD student. If you wish
to apply please email CLF@nea.org.uk using the words ‘NEA Conference 2015’
in the subject line of your email. In no more than 500 words, please outline why
you would find it useful to attend and how your research is linked to the themes
of the conference. Please also include your contact details. The deadline for
entries is Friday 25 July. The two successful students will be notified via email.
The package includes a delegate place, one night’s accommodation and pre-
booked public transport.
For further information please check www.chesshire-lehmann.co.uk/nea-
annual-conference. The two winning students will be asked to submit a short
report on the outcomes of attending the Conference and how they will use the
experience to support their research.
THANK YOU GTi Direct
NEA would like to thank-long standing BSG member GTi Direct for
continuing to print NEA Focus in-kind for the charity. We are really
grateful for your support!
4 Fuel Poverty Monitor 2015
5 Energy Efficiency Best Practice Awards
6 Fuel Banks’ heat or eat dilemma
7 Community Action Awards
8 Heat Heroes 2015 winners
14 Gas Safe Trust funding for NEA
research project
CIGA’s first annual report
15 Warm Homes, Healthy Homes
16 UKPN and fuel poor communities
19 Peaks & Plains ‘chop’ residents’ bills
Endo Enterprises wins H&V award
20 Big Energy Saving Network
Jenny Saunders, Chief Executive of NEA with Martin Clayton, Managing Director of GTi Direct
3. 3
The theme for this year’s conference is
based on our vision for the future, for
the 4.5 million households who live in
the misery of fuel poverty across the
UK. The conference will focus on six
vision statements and expert panels of
speakers will explore each of these in
turn, drawing upon the experience of
those attending the conference.
What does the future look like for the
fuel poor? Our six vision statements:
1. A future where all fuel-poor
households receive the assistance
they need to improve the energy
efficiency of their property
2. A future where everyone can afford
to heat and eat
3. A future where there is no illness
or premature death resulting from
cold homes
4. A future where communities and
individuals are empowered to take
control of their energy generation
and behaviour
5. A future where no household is
disadvantaged because of their
property type, tenure or location
6. A future where no household is
disadvantaged because of how
they pay for their energy and where
all consumers can engage with the
competitive energy market.
Confirmed speakers to date include:
• David Porter, Vice President, NEA
• Senior representatives from the
Department of Energy and
Climate Change
• Janine Freeman, Director UK
Corporate Affairs, National Grid
• John Barnett, Commercial
Director, Northern Powergrid
• Tom Wright, Chair of Fuel Poverty
Advisory Group
• Philip Cullum, Consumer Partner,
Ofgem
• Dr David Sloan – Co-Chair, NICE
committee on preventing excess
winter deaths
• Prof Angela Tod, Chair of Clinical
Nursing Practice Research,
University of Manchester
• Catherine Homer, Research
Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University
• Pete Moorey, Head of Campaigns,
Which?
• Adam Scorer, Executive Director of
Consumer Futures
• Sir John Harman, Chair, CRESCo
• And more to be announced.
As well as the main sessions there
will be an exhibition of products and
services that offer some of the solutions
to tackling fuel poverty.
Discussion hubs will provide
opportunity for more interactive
discussions.
If you have any ideas for additional
themes and speakers please email
claire.henderson@nea.org.uk.
Who should attend?
The NEA conference is the main UK
conference solely focused on tackling
fuel poverty. It provides a unique
opportunity to hear from experts,
challenge their views and share
best practice. All sectors involved in
developing policies and programmes to
deliver on fuel poverty targets should
attend including representatives from
local government and RSLs; central
government; the energy industry; Green
Deal installer organisations; health
agencies; voluntary and not- for-profit
agencies at a national and local level.
NEA’s conference is one of the best
value-for-money events in the UK.
Taking place over three days, as
well as access to the full conference
programme and exhibition, the
delegate fee also includes a buffet and
drinks reception on Monday evening;
gala dinner on Tuesday evening; and
lunch and refreshments at designated
times on Tuesday and Wednesday.
For more information and to book your
place go to
www.nea.org.uk/sheffield2015 or
email brian.hart@nea.org.uk. Early bird
discounts are available until 30 June.
The NEA Conference is widely recognised as the largest
fuel poverty and energy efficiency event in the UK. The
33rd annual conference and exhibition is sponsored by
NationalGrid and NorthernPowergrid, and will be held
at Sheffield City Hall from Monday 14 to Wednesday
16 September.
4. Guests were welcomed to the event
by Lord Shipley, NEA’s Vice President
and addressed by Derek Lickorish MBE,
Chair of NEA who outlined the charity’s
work and its key asks of the new
Government.
Bev Keogh, SSE Power Distribution’s
Director of Network Services also
spoke about her company’s mission
to identify and support vulnerable
customers.
NEA was delighted that the new
Secretary of State for Energy and
Climate Change, the Rt Hon Amber
Rudd was able to attend the reception
and speak about her commitment to
help vulnerable energy consumers.
The event was very timely, enabling
NEA to brief new politicians on the
need to adequately fund an ambitious
energy efficiency programme to end
the suffering caused by fuel poverty.
NEA was able to highlight some of the
recommendations from our UK Fuel
Poverty Monitor which was produced
in conjunction with Energy Action
Scotland (EAS) with the support of
Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice
Scotland.
NEA WELCOMES
MEMBERS TO THE
HOUSEOFLORDSNEA held its annual House of Lords reception on
1 June, bringing together 160 stakeholders and members of both
Houses of Parliament.
4
5. The Fuel Poverty Monitor is an annual
investigation by NEA and EAS of fuel
poverty in the UK and its four nations
and the policies in place to tackle
it. This year’s Fuel Poverty Monitor
explores specifically how the differing
approaches and varying levels of
service across the UK are leading to
significant differences in the experience
of fuel poverty for vulnerable and
low-income consumers both between
nations and across the UK. This is
demonstrated in the report with some
illustrative examples or ‘pen portraits’
of different consumers’ experiences
of accessing fuel poverty support
and energy efficiency interventions.
By comparing the impact of policies
‘on the ground’ the report seeks to
highlight the relative success of efforts
to integrate fuel poverty policies with
other key strategies within the nations.
The report highlights widespread
recognition that significant energy
efficiency interventions and bespoke
energy advice can help increase
warmth, comfort and make fuel bills
affordable for vulnerable households.
The Fuel Poverty Monitor is available
to download from the NEA website at
www.nea.org.uk/publications.
The reception also focussed on NEA’s
training services. NEA’s most popular
course, the City & Guilds-accredited
Level 3 Award in Energy Awareness
6281-01, celebrates its 25th anniversary
this year. Over 25,000 delegates
have completed this course since its
inception in 1990 and some were at the
reception to receive their certificates.
Also in attendance was NEA’s Assistant
Training and Assessment Manager Colin
Dunn who was part of the first cohort of
trainees to receive the qualification 25
years ago.
NEA has previously received the
prestigious Ashden Award for Training
and Capacity Building, recognising
excellence in training in energy
awareness and energy efficiency
advice, and our leading role in
professionalising the energy advice
sector. For more information please see
www.nea.org.uk/training.
The Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP, the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
£25,000for
energysaving
projects
Eight organisations are celebrating
after winning up to £5,000 each for
their projects which are working to
improve energy efficiency and reduce
CO2
emissions in one of eight specific
localities across England and Wales.
The organisations won a total of £25,000
in the EnergyEfficiencyBestPractice
Awards, run byNationalEnergyAction
andBritishGas.
The awards complement a wider
programme of work, the Community
ActionPartnership, a national
programme delivered by British Gas and
NEA in partnership with councils across
the UK that will help to bring affordable
energy and improve the lives and
prosperity of residents.
Thewinnersare:
• Care&Repair,Cardiff&theValeof
Glamorgan
• SouthTynesideHomes
• SunderlandCityCouncil
• SalixHomes
• emhHomes
• ActioninCaerauandEly
• AgeCymru
• CarbonCo-op
For further information about the winning
organisations and their projects please
go to www.nea.org.uk/campaigns-events/
energy-efficiency-best-practice-awards.
5
6. 6
NEA is working in partnership with npower, The
Trussell Trust and Durham Christian Partnership
to deliver the nation’s first fuel bank as part of an
ongoing pilot.
The innovative scheme, which began in April 2015, is
designed to support households most in need by supplying
them with a prepayment meter voucher, equivalent to
approximately 14 days dual-fuel energy use, alongside
emergency food aid when they visit a food bank.
For the majority of households that use food banks they are
doing so because of a crisis situation. For example, there
has been a delay or problem with a benefits payment that
has thrown the household finances into chaos. A household
struggling to afford the basics, such as food, is also very likely
to be struggling with other areas of their household budget,
such as energy. We know many vulnerable and low-income
households will face difficult and challenging decisions about
whether to heat or eat. It is a scandal that in the UK today
families are required to make the choice between heating
and powering their home or to feed themselves and their
families.
Operating from within existing food banks in Durham,
Kingston upon Thames and Gloucester, the Fuel Bank
scheme is targeted at households in crisis that use pre-
payment meters; regardless of who their energy supplier
is. The voucher can then be used to top-up their gas and/or
electricity meters enabling households which have run out of
energy to get the power back on within a few hours and keep
the lights and heating on for up to two weeks, or stopping
households that might be at risk of using their emergency
credit or self-disconnection from doing so. Households will
be able to access up to three credit fuel vouchers initially
and food bank staff will be able to give more than three
vouchers to those in exceptional circumstances if they deem
it necessary.
Alongside the fuel voucher,
households will also receive an
information booklet designed
to help them access longer-term
forms of support which they may
not be aware of, for example, the
Priority Services Register and
Warm Home Discount; trusts and
grants; and npower services, such
as the Health through Warmth
scheme. The booklet is also
packed full of helpful tips and
advice about how to save and
manage energy in the home and
useful contact details for energy
and welfare-related sources of
advice and services.
The initial pilot phase is scheduled
to run for three months until the end of July and NEA will be
evaluating the project with both service users and providers
to determine what the outcomes for vulnerable households
have been. For example, has the emergency fuel voucher
helped to relieve a crisis situation? Has it helped people
to get back on their feet after a crisis by opening up some
flexibility in the household budget? Or have households
been able to repay a fuel debt or reduce the incidence of
self-disconnection? The evaluation will also capture any
operational and delivery lessons that can be drawn upon
during any future roll-out; helping npower with the ambition
of expanding the Fuel Bank scheme.
FUELBANKSTOHELPTHOSEFACING
‘HEAT OR EAT’DILEMMA
For further information please email luke.garrett@nea.org.uk
7. OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE
COMMUNITYACTIONAWARDS
NEA has been busy travelling the country as part of the Community
Action Awards scheme which recognises best practice amongst
those who are working to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy
efficiency in their local communities. NEA runs the scheme in
partnership with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and
British Gas.
The winning projects involved a wide range of initiatives including
volunteer training programmes, referral networks, education in
schools, energy advice services and partnership working.
Celebration events took place in Worcester with Act on Energy; in
Rutland with Change Agents; in Barking with Community Enterprise
East London; in Lewisham with the London Borough of Lewisham; and
in Tyne And Wear with Shiney Advice and Resource Project (ShARP).
Phase 4 of the awards is now open for entries and the deadline for
applications is 2 October 2015. To apply or for further information
visit www.nea.org.uk, email nina.dunlavy@nea.org.uk or call
0191 269 2935.
GREENBUILD
EXPO2015
Launched in 2009, Greenbuild Expo
is firmly established as the must-
attend event for built environment
professionals wanting to create
sustainable projects.
The free, two-day conference and
exhibition in Manchester offers expert
advice on making buildings greener
– from cutting water use to reducing
energy consumption – with a huge
variety of workshops and seminars to
attend. They take a holistic approach
to sustainability at Greenbuild Expo,
with sessions looking at the social
sustainability of construction and
refurbishment projects, as well as the
environmental sustainability.
And this year Greenbuild will once
again be recognising projects that
have raised the bar when it comes to
energy saving and sustainability in the
Buildings & Energy Efficiency Awards.
The awards celebrate outstanding
achievements and expertise in energy
usage and the ways it contributes to
an attractive, energy-efficient and
sustainable built environment.
The closing date to enter the
awards is 30 June, so do visit www.
beefficiencyawards.co.uk for further
information.
Greenbuild Expo will take place on the
10 and 11 November at Manchester
Central. NEA will be exhibiting at this
event.
To find out more visit
www.greenbuildexpo.co.uk and follow
@greenbuildexpo on Twitter.
7
8. 8
Louise Evans, Community Council for Somerset
Louise Evans worked at the Community Council for
Somerset (CCS) until recently when she moved to the Centre
for Sustainable Energy (CSE). At CCS she worked on the
Somerset Warmer Families project, which aims to reduce
energy bills for families with young children in fuel poverty
across Somerset. Her work has included attending school
assemblies to deliver presentations around energy use to
children and parents, presenting at parent and child sessions
at local children’s centres and providing advice to vulnerable
households. The families she helped live in rural areas with
high levels of fuel poverty and hard-to-treat homes. They
are therefore at more risk of financial deprivation. Louise is
dedicated to helping families make their daily household
income stretch that little bit further and by choosing to
educate the youngest in the community, it means we will all
benefit in the future.
Dennis Reeves, Middlesbrough Environment
City
The overall aim of Dennis’ role is to identify the more
vulnerable residents of Middlesbrough who are in fuel
poverty or are in danger of entering fuel poverty. He works
closely with Middlesbrough’s health advocates who refer
vulnerable householders identified through home visits.
Dennis is often seen in the community giving advice on
energy efficiency and is fully committed to his role. Dennis
has been a highly active member of the Department of
Energy and Climate Change’s Big Energy Saving Network
in 2014-15. He has trained 55 frontline workers to give
advice and support to vulnerable energy consumers across
Middlesbrough. This has included training MIND staff who
support people with mental health issues; frontline workers
from the Royal Voluntary Service in Middlesbrough who help
older people maintain independence in their own homes;
and frontline staff who run a Retired and Senior Volunteering
Programme to people aged 50+.
HEATHEROES 2015
AWARD WINNERSNEA’s Heat Heroes Awards, supported by ScottishPower, recognise individuals within communities in England and Wales who
have made a significant contribution to helping those struggling with the effects of fuel poverty. The following Heat Heroes have
been nominated to receive this award and will attend a celebration event in the summer.
9. 9
Phil Povey, Sefton Council
Phil Povey has worked for Sefton Council as an affordable
warmth worker for over six years and in that time has
personally assisted over 2,500 households in fuel poverty.
Phil prides himself on the fact that there isn’t anyone in fuel
poverty he hasn’t been able to help, whether it is energy
efficiency advice, access to measures, reduction in fuel debt
or income maximisation. He is passionate about assisting
residents out of fuel poverty and never gives up on a case.
More and more often Phil is reaching the most fuel poor and
hard-to-reach groups. In turn not only is he assisting them
with fuel poverty issues, but he is also referring them to other
support agencies such as welfare rights and occupational
health, enabling residents to live independently and more
comfortably in their own homes.
Aisha Sterling and Sylwia Kulaczkowska,
Talking Money
Aisha and Sylwia are both energy advisors at Talking
Money’s Energy Advice Project. Their role is to alleviate fuel
poverty and set their clients on a path to sustainable and
affordable energy usage via energy efficiency advice, income
maximisation, charitable applications to clear arrears and
holistic support and advice delivered via the phone and
in person. Aisha is a computer whizz who is studying for a
degree in astrophysics in her spare time and she has played
a key role in fine-tuning the project’s data management
program to make it more user friendly. She is a walking fuel
rights handbook which means she is quick to identify and
challenge potentially legally unjustified behaviour from
suppliers both for her own clients and others.
Sylwia volunteered at the energy advice project at Talking
Money for one year before the project’s expansion allowed
them to offer her a permanent post as and energy advisor.
Sylwia is a native Polish speaker and this has been an
invaluable asset to the project. Residents of Bristol’s sizeable
Polish community are some of the most at risk of fuel
poverty in the city. She has been able to effectively target
this community which is otherwise poorly served for energy
advice.
Gaynor Astley, Care & Repair Powys
Gaynor Astley has been a stalwart member of the Care &
Repair in Powys team for 25 years and has made a significant
contribution to helping older people struggling with the
effects of fuel poverty. Care & Repair in Powys recognises that
in Wales alone there are 140,000 pensioners in fuel poverty
and sadly nearly 2,000 excess winter deaths every year. As a
caseworker since April 1990, Gaynor has visited and assisted
thousands of older people in their homes in Powys, a rural
and isolated area in mid Wales with below-average incomes
and many housing issues. Along with adaptations and home
maintenance advice (including heating systems, new boilers
and window repairs), Gaynor will also make sure that her
elderly clients are receiving their full benefit entitlement
and can afford to adequately heat their home. Care & Repair
in Powys estimate that Gaynor has personally helped over
2,000 older people in fuel poverty in her time and deserves
recognition for her hard work.
Continued >>
10. Emma Adams, Consultant
Dedicated, compassionate, action-oriented! That describes
Emma over the last 15 years working to eradicate fuel
poverty and provide warm and affordable homes to low-
income families. Emma began her career in 2000 on the
government-funded Warm Front Team where she was
responsible for stakeholder engagement and a referral
generation for low-income households across London. She
then worked at London Warm Zone for six years and for the
delivery providers for the Greater London Authority’s (GLA)
RE: NEW home energy efficiency programme. Emma also led
a successful bid for £450k from the Department of Health’s
Warm Homes, Healthy People funding with seven West
Sussex councils in 2011-12. The programme delivered energy
advice, a package of energy/water saving devices, and larger
CERT-funded measures to over 2,600 vulnerable homes.
Emma works freelance as well as being a specialist
consultant with Avalon Sustainable Energy Solutions who
deliver cavity wall insulation for tower blocks. She works
closely with SHS on fuel poverty programmes and has been
instrumental in designing a tailored home assessment to
prove real fuel poverty in line with the new Government
definition.
Tony Cooke, South Norfolk Council
As South Norfolk Council’s Housing Access and Standards
Manager, Tony manages and develops a team to help
residents find a home, make sure it’s appropriate to their
needs and maintain it ensuring it is safe and warm. Tony
works across numerous agencies and partners to ensure that
affordable warmth investments have positive impacts and
are targeted in order to benefit their residents the most. His
achievements include bidding for Green Deal funding which
has brought £450,000 into the district to improve insulation
for residents, encouraging behaviour change in energy
reduction, helping the vulnerable achieve independent living,
targeting excess winter deaths through energy schemes and
making savings in the health sector.
Carol White, Gosport Borough Council
Carol has worked tirelessly for the people of Gosport for a
significant number of years, improving their heating and
accessing help from other organisations, to help lift them
out of fuel poverty and going the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that
people of all ages and tenures have access to funding and
schemes provided by the Government. Carol’s determination
and tenacity in cutting through ‘red tape’ to find solutions
has ensured that she and her team have been able to make a
difference.
She worked on the ‘Help is on Hand – Warm & Well project,
working closely with partner organisations to identify and
safeguard vulnerable people living in fuel poverty. Other
projects have included the Green Deal Communities Fund
(GDCF) where Carol was instrumental in obtaining funding
from the GDCF, providing External Wall Insulation (EWI)
mainly to the Rowner estate in Gosport. To date 16 families
have benefited from EWI to their homes with a further 200+
properties yet to be completed.
Carl Grant, South Liverpool Homes
Carl has worked tirelessly striving to help people in fuel debt
and poverty. In the last 12 months alone Carl has visited 500
individual homes in the Speke and Garston areas of Liverpool
delivering a service that started out as a project, then turned
into an essential service after only the first three months. He
was instrumental in the provision of a “poverty pot” to be
implemented by his current employers.
11. This ensures that the more extreme cases can be treated
immediately without the need for any external applications.
This measure instigated by Carl has saved families from
having to wait for the next benefit payment to top up electric
and gas pre-payments, ensuring heat and cooking facilities,
sometimes during freezing weather conditions. Carl is also
trusted with food bank awards, sometimes delivering during
his own time to ensure that families can provide food for
their children. Carl truly is a “Heat Hero” and fully deserves
recognition for the passion and drive he shows every day,
and has done for the last five years.
Chris Benton, Dying to Keep Warm
Chris has spent many years seeking to improve conditions
for vulnerable and less fortunate members of his community.
After he retired in 2003, Chris joined Merseyside Fire & Rescue
Service as a Community Fire Safety Manager, where he spent
eight years developing and enhancing a new Home Fire
Safety Strategy aimed at reducing fire risks for the elderly
and vulnerable. In 2011 he became an integral member of
a new charity called Dying to Keep Warm. Now at the age
of 71 he continues to work hard with the charity to help
reduce fuel poverty and increase safety in the home. Among
his contributions, Chris spends his time advising vulnerable
people, educating the professionals who care for them and
most importantly, providing them with suitable emergency
heating and gas safety solutions.
Jenny Cartwright, Centre for Sustainable Energy
Jenny has been working with CSE as a volunteer since
December 2013 and giving up many hours of her time each
week supporting their fuel poverty work. Jenny has been one
of their most active volunteers helping at events, delivering
talks (on one occasion to 180 people) and regularly attending
and advising on home visits.
Jenny is a retired nurse and her medical knowledge and
experience has been invaluable to the rest of the team.
Jenny has delivered formal training to CSE’s advice team,
both to paid staff and to the other volunteers, on the medical
conditions impacted by cold and damp. Jenny has also
improved CSE’s evaluation processes – contacting people
who have been helped in the past and assessing how
effective that help has been. Jenny has shown throughout
how to have an understanding, caring approach when
dealing with people as well as being very professional.
Alongside her work in fuel poverty Jenny also volunteers at
a homeless cafe, is a prison visitor and supports a school
charity in Kenya.
The Heat Heroes will be presented with their awards
at a ceremony in the House of Commons on
30 June.
11
12. ECAPSYSTEM
UP TO
60%
SAVING ON
INSTALLATION
TIME!
The ECAP system comprises sheets of rigid
insulation board to which a base coat
cement render and mesh have been
pre-applied in the factory prior to
delivery to site. The resulting
board provides a semi-
finished EWI product that is
quick to install, easy to
handle and virtually
unaffected by wet
weather.
Anchor-dowel holes built-in
Fibreglassnetembedded
in the smoothing mortar
Before DAY ONE DAY TWO
Cement bases
smoothing mortar
Anchor-dowel sites
are predrilled and are
covered by a precut net
ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR TO HAVE YOUR HOUSE AS NEW !
WHY ChOOsE ECAPSPEED OF APPLICATION
> Up to 60% less application time compared
to “traditional” EWI systems.
> Not susceptible to bad weather.
> Reduced costs for scaffold hire.
HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
> ECAP is the only anti-vandal EWI system.
> Factory applied mesh and mortar allows for
consistent quality every time!
> More installations completed in the same period.
> Competitive time advantage in tenders when
competing with traditional EWI systems.
> Designed with the installer in mind.
EASE OF APPLICATION
> Instantly wind and water tight.
> No EPS “snow-storm” on site.
> Pre-drilled anchor dowel holes - no guess work!
PACKAGING
> Dimensions of the ECAP board:
1200 x 600 mm. - smooth edge
> Standard thickness: 30 - 40 - 50 - 60 - 70 - 80 - 90 -
100 - 120 - 150 - 180 - 200 mm.
ECO & GREEN
DEAL
APPROVED
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Call now!
Tel: +44 (0)1369 702070
Email: info@gti-direct.com · www.gti-direct.com
13. Thermal conductivity λ declared to 10°C EN 12667 0,031 W/mK
Compression resistance at 10% deformation CS (10) 70 EN 826
70 kPa
100 kPa
Bending resistance BS 115 EN 12089
> = 115 kPa
> = 150 kPa
Water absorption by total immersion and for a long period EN 12087 2%
Factor of resistance to the water vapour diffusion m EN 12086
20 - 40
30 - 70
Permeability to water vapour EN 12086
0,018-0,036mg/(Pa·h·m)
0,010-0,024mg/(Pa·h·m)
Fire reactivity UNI EN 13501-1 B-s2,d0
AfterDAY THREE DAY FOUR
DAY TRADITIONAL SYSTEM ECAP
1 Position starting profile.
Adhesively fix the insulation boards.
Position starting profile.
Adhesively fix the insulation boards.
Mechanically fix anchor-dowels.
Grout or Finishing Basecoat.
2 Wait for adhesive to dry. Wait for finish to dry.
3 Mechanically fix anchor-dowels.
Apply the first coat of smoothing mortar and fibreglass net. Apply primer for the coloured finishing mortar.
4 Wait for first coat to dry. Apply colour finishing mortar (END).
5 Apply second coat of smoothing mortar.
6 - 7 Wait for second coat of smoothing mortar to dry.
8 Apply primer for coloured finishing mortar.
9 Apply coloured finishing mortar (END).
ADVANTAGES
COMPARISON WITH “TRADITIONAL SYSTEM”
Example: thermal insulation with EPS board on a two storey house wall (70 m²)
with a team of three workers.
ECAP
is box packaged
and palletised.
This prevents damage
during transport and
facilitates ease of
storage on site!
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
THICKNESS mm. 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 120 150 180 200
N° BOARDS PER PALLET 74 56 44 38 32 28 26 22 18 14 12 10
TOTAL m2
PER PALLET 53,28 40,32 31,68 27,36 23,04 20,16 18,72 15,84 12,96 10,08 8,64 7,20
FASTER
THAN 60%
less time spent,
less risk
to your home.
14. 14
NEATOLEADNEW
RESEARCHINTOFUEL
POVERTYANDCARBON
DIOXIDERISK
NEA is delighted to announce funding from
the Gas Safety Trust, the UK’s leading gas
safety charity, to undertake research into
the possible links between fuel poverty and
carbon monoxide exposure risk.
Each year, 40 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning
in England and Wales, which is caused by unsafe gas, oil and
solid fuel appliances along with poor ventilation.
To prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide in the home,
appliances must be regularly serviced and maintained
while carbon monoxide alarms should also be installed.
These activities are not free however and are unlikely to
be prioritised by households on tight budgets. Indeed, a
Department of Health study from 2011 suggested that one-
fifth of low-income households could be regularly exposed
to carbon monoxide levels above World Health Organisation
guidelines.
NEA will build on this and other evidence through
interviewing low-income vulnerable householders qualifying
for Priority Services Registers. The latter are used by energy
companies to flag up customers requiring additional
assistance for reasons such as age, illness and disability.
The interviews will focus on the role domestic heating and
cooking practices play in increasing risk to carbon monoxide
exposure.
Working with Liverpool John Moores University, the study
will also monitor temperature, humidity and carbon
monoxide levels in vulnerable householders’ properties
across a range of tenures (owner-occupied, private and social
rented sectors).
Chris Bielby, Gas Safety Trust Chairman, said in response
to the funding: “Fuel poverty is an issue that the industry
takes very seriously and I think it is critical that we look to
understand whether there is a link between deprivation and a
carbon monoxide-related safety risk.”
David Lynch, Project Development Manager at NEA, added:
“Our research will enable us to gain real insight into the daily
behaviours and attitudes of householders using various fuel-
burning appliances within their home. NEA will work with our
strategic partners to ensure the findings of this research are
embedded in future initiatives and policies to help reduce risks
associated with carbon monoxide.”
Interviews with households will begin in October this year,
targeting North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber.
For any organisations interested in finding out more about
this research please contact
juliette.burroughs@nea.org.uk.
CIGAPUBLISHESRANGEOF
CWISTATISTICSINFIRST
EVERANNUALREPORT
The Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA)
has recently published its first ever publicly
available annual report, available at
http://we.tl/9kGZWRZN09.
In the annual report, CIGA has published details of its board
of directors, information on the agency’s financial holdings,
and statistics demonstrating the reliability of cavity wall
insulation in the UK. This information has never before been
published in full in one place.
CIGA has also carried out research into customer satisfaction
amongst consumers who have lodged a claim previously
with the agency. That data, as well as providing a baseline
against which improvements in customer experience can be
measured, is presented in full in the report.
The annual report is being published as part of a
wider programme implemented by CIGA to improve its
transparency and make the organisation more responsive
to consumers, helping support public trust in cavity wall
insulation.
As part of this programme, CIGA has already appointed
Teresa Perchard as a dedicated Consumer Champion, and
she has contributed a foreword to the Annual Report setting
out her priorities in her new role. CIGA has also recently
15. committed to its ‘call back pledge’, a new measure providing
extra protection for consumers who make a claim against
their CIGA guarantee.
Gerry Miller, Chief Executive of CIGA, said: “As the largest
and most established provider of guarantees for cavity wall
insulation retrofits in the UK, CIGA has a crucial role to play in
supporting public confidence in cavity wall insulation.
“While it is true that cavity wall insulation is an extremely
reliable product – problems affect only two in every thousand
installations – it is also true that the industry must be totally
transparent about how it deals with consumers when there is
a problem.
“With that in mind, we’ve set out with this report to provide
consumers with complete peace of mind. We’ve published
CIGA’s finances, showing that the reserves we hold are more
than adequate; shown who it is that sits on our board,
demonstrating the expertise and experience they bring to the
organisation; and set out in clear terms the changes we’re
driving through.
“This is an important step and clearly demonstrates the will of
CIGA and the industry to improve our transparency and service
to consumers.”
LEICESTERSHIRE’S WARM
HOMES, HEALTHYHOMES
SERVICE
NEA and the Papworth Trust are co-delivering
the Warm Homes, Healthy Homes Service
across Leicestershire.
This new service is commissioned by Leicestershire’s Public
Health team and aims to bring together a range of services
which could be of benefit to householders on a low income,
living in energy inefficient properties and facing health
problems which are exacerbated by living in a cold damp
home.
NEA has already provided training for the Papworth Trust
Customer Service Hub staff who will be taking calls from
householders. These staff members are now signposting
callers to services such as the Energy Company Obligation,
Warm Home Discount and the Priority Services Registers, as
well as providing benefits advice and support with switching
to a more suitable tariff. In circumstances where the caller
needs additional support, the Warm Homes, Healthy Homes
Service will have a caseworker, based within the Papworth
Trust, who will be able to make home visits to provide a more
in-depth advice and support service.
NEA and Papworth Trust will soon be offering awareness
raising sessions for community groups across Leicestershire
to ensure that householders who need the service are aware
of what it can provide help with. Groups of frontline staff will
also be offered awareness raising sessions which will provide
a quick and easy way of referring householders with whom
they have contact during their day-to-day work.
In addition to the above, NEA’s research team will also be
conducting a Health Needs Assessment for Leicestershire’s
Public Health team.
Householders can contact the Warm Homes, Healthy Homes
Service directly or be referred by a member of staff working
on behalf of a householder. The contact number is 0300 333
6544.
For more information or to express an interest in holding an
awareness raising session for a community group or team
of frontline staff, please contact Nicky Swetnam at nicky.
swetnam@nea.org.uk or 07714 291064.
16. 16
MEMBERS FOCUS
UKPNWORKINGWITHFUELPOOR
COMMUNITIES
Our vision of being a respected corporate citizen, an
employer of choice and sustainably cost efficient is at the
heart of everything we do. In our eight-year Business Plan
(2015-23), UK Power Networks has committed to enhance
the services we provide to vulnerable customers and work
proactively to help reduce fuel poverty in our three networks.
Fuel poverty in England is measured by the Low Income High
Costs criteria which define a household to be in fuel poverty
if:
• they have required fuel costs that are above the national
average; and
• were they to spend that amount they would be left with
a residual income below the official poverty line.
As an electricity distribution company reaching
8 million homes and businesses, one of our objectives
is to help strengthen local economies and communities
through infrastructure investment as well as everyday
actions including working with charitable organisations.
Engaging with representative parties from across the local
communities provides us with insights on their priorities and
allows us to deliver services that better meet their needs.
Furthermore, to engage with the hard-to-reach customers we
have partnered with organisations that have considerable
expertise in this area. This factor has been one of the key
drivers of our decision to become a National Energy Action
(NEA) Business Supporters Group member.
Publicly sharing our work on meeting our fuel poor
customers’ needs further contributes to our vision of being a
great place to work.
As part of our vison, we continuously strive to provide
real value to customers. To ensure efficient allocation of
resources and measure the effectiveness of the activities
undertaken, we measure and report on our performance
over time. We recognise that the benefits of any work
we undertake is assessed by customers in different ways;
sometimes it is about value for money wheras at other times
it is about customer experience such as ease of access to our
services in emergencies.
With this in mind we undertook a review of our work with
NEA and looked at how other industries measure the benefits
of partnership work. We paid special attention to anticipating
and recording monetary benefits of our initiatives as cost
efficiency is important to us and our customers in continuing
efforts to keep distribution costs down to a small percentage
of their energy bills. This article gives an overview of our
initiatives with NEA over the last year and summarises how
we have progressed over the previous two years to reach this
pivotal point in our partnership.
Developing initiatives
One long-term partnership project, energywise, which we are
currently running with ten organisations, including NEA, is
exploring how residential customers who may be struggling
with fuel bills can better manage their household energy
usage and consequently their energy bills by changing their
behaviour. The project is expected to run until 2017. The role
of NEA is to ensure that the specific needs of the fuel poor
and vulnerable customers are addressed in the course of the
project and also to disseminate the leanings generated with
fuel poverty stakeholders.
In 2013, in consultation with NEA, we decided to reach out
to young carers in the poorer areas of London in order to
communicate who we are and deliver energy efficiency
workshops using NEA’s experience with this hard-to-reach
group. In collaboration with NEA, we identified various fuel
poor areas in London, so called ‘hotspots’, to run energy
efficiency workshops. These were delivered in 2014 and 2015.
Having reviewed the feedback from the young carer events,
we decided to do the following:
1. we partnered with the Carers Trust to widen the reach to
carers across our footprint (London, east and south east
England); and
2. we worked with NEA to develop a series of drop–in
energy advice surgeries.
17. 17
MEMBERS FOCUS
NEA and UK Power Networks: Promoting energy efficiency
The drop-in surgeries gave bespoke advice to every customer who attended based on their current energy usage. These
sessions included discussions around energy awareness, insulation and supplier switching where we identified specific
savings based on the advice given and options taken up. Refocusing our approach with these stakeholder groups allowed us
to achieve more tangible benefits through our engagement activities.
Following the delivery of these six community surgeries we were able to record the following outputs:
Achievements of the Fuel Poverty programme with support from NEA
Customers
attending
Customers receiving
individual energy
advice
Total annual savings
made through using
online switching
sites
Total annual
saving achieved
through insulation
recommendations
Total annual amount
claimed through
Warm Home
Discount referrals
PSR* referrals
155 88 £10,314 140 £3,920 59
*PSR : Priority Services Register: This is a free register we provide to those who need extra support in the event of a power cut. See
http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/power-cuts/priority-services-during-a-power-cut/ for more details and how to
sign up. This register has further been boosted by several thousand thanks to a targeted media and social media campaign which
kicked off in 2014.
18. 18
Social Return on Investment
Whilst these outputs gave us some indication of the impact from these events, we sought to understand our return on
investment and applied a Social Return on Investment (SROI) model using guidance from two established models: the SROI
model developed by Social Value UK (http://socialvalueuk.org/) and the LBG model (http://www.lbg-online.net/ ).
1. Identify all stakeholders involved and what we believe will change for them as a result of these projects. In this case we
discussed potential benefits such as cost savings and quality of life improvements, over the short, medium and longer
term.
2. Record all resources needed with our chosen partner (inputs) and the anticipated numbers of beneficiaries (outputs) and
apply a financial value where appropriate. We recognise that it is difficult sometimes to assign financial values to some
benefits such as the social benefits of bringing people together, improved reputation and brand awareness.
3. Assess what percentage of these changes (outcomes) would have occurred without our intervention so as to calculate the
final financial impact of our engagement.
4. Compare the financial impact against the input costs to calculate the social return in a monetary figure.
When applying this model we have identified a social return of £1.19 for every pound invested by
UK Power Networks.
This model has influenced our revised
social obligations strategy. In our aim to
deliver cost effective service, we will take
the learnings from the initiatives with
NEA and apply the return on investment
methods and tools to implement further
initiatives in fuel poor areas. We will
continue to seek a better rate of return
on our stakeholder engagement activities
by rolling out the successful initiatives
to other stakeholder groups across our
network and achieving economies of
scales where possible.
For further information please contact
stakeholderengagement@ukpowernetworks.co.uk
MEMBERS FOCUS
19. 19
PEAKS&PLAINSHOUSINGTRUSTTOCHOPRESIDENTS’
HEATINGBILLS
New NEA member, Peaks & Plains Housing Trust in Macclesfield is the latest social housing trust to install Chop-Clocs in a bid
to reduce their residents’ heating bills. The Trust has recently launched a Smart Energy Team who will be delivering a smart
energy project to help and support Trust customers and Cheshire East residents. The main aim of the project is to help people
who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty.
The Smart Energy Team initially trialled and tested Chop-Cloc with highly successful results, as Kieran Holdcroft,
Neighbourhood Manager for the Trust describes: “I’ve tested Chop-Cloc on a day-by-day basis on a 20-minute chop and noted a
17% saving”. Energy Support Officer for the Trust, Rebecca Parr also said: “We had some great results from using the Chop-Cloc
and we were also really impressed with how easy the device is to use. We’re excited to share this technology with our customers
and help them make real savings on their energy bills.”
In addition to being offered to tenants, Chop-Cloc has also been specified for inclusion in new build developments. Redmond
Hodgkinson, Development Officer at the Trust explains: “As part of Peaks and Plains new development programme to build 170
funded and 80 Section 106 homes between 2015-2018, we will be including the Chop-Cloc energy saving device on all suitable
properties to increase energy efficiency for our customers”.
Designed by The Chopping Company, the retrofit device cuts heating bills by up to 30%. Chop-Cloc is fitted to the central
heating system and programmes it to cut out for between 15 and 45 minutes in each hour. This makes no difference to how
warm the property feels, but creates a big saving on bills, with an average household saving over £120 a year and nearly 600kg
of CO2
emissions. “Fuel poverty is at crisis levels. People shouldn’t have to compromise their comfort and health in order to avoid
costly energy bills. Chop-Cloc helps people to control their energy use and reduce bills by an average of 16%. We are excited to
partner with Peaks and Plains Housing Trust to deliver the benefits of Chopping” explains Mark Kerray, CEO at The Chopping
Company.
ENDOENTERPRISESRECEIVES
H&VNEWSAWARD
EndoTherm from NEA member Endo Enterprises (UK) Ltd has won
Domestic Product of the Year (Safety & Sustainability) at the 2015
H&V News Awards.
More than 200 entrants were judged by industry peers in over 20
categories and the Endo team were at the Grosvenor House Hotel in
London to pick up the prestigious award in front of 1200 guests.
The H&V News Awards are the most admired and coveted awards
for the building services sector. Now in their 21st year, the awards
provide industry recognition and networking opportunities.
Announced by Dennis Flower (H&V News Editor) and presented by
Bill Turnbull (BBC) EndoTherm was singled out as being a ‘truly
exciting product that is expected to have a major impact in energy use in both domestic and commercial heating systems’.
EndoTherm’s winning entry was judged based on extensive case study data and three years of laboratory testing showing an
ability to save up to 15% on energy costs for any wet heating system. For more information visit www.endotherm.co.uk.
MEMBERS FOCUS
