Supporting the shift: how to strengthen information and advice provision for energy home upgrades
The government’s Warm Homes Plan has the potential to improve living standards and the affordability of energy across the country. An expanded Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the promise of new grants for low-income households could bring energy home upgrades to those who stand to benefit the most. New government-backed loans could reduce the upfront cost barriers for millions of consumers. At the same time, home energy upgrade markets are evolving rapidly, with new products and services - from plug-in solar to optimisation software - reshaping how consumers use energy.
However, our research tells us the energy home upgrade market is very difficult for consumers to navigate. It is a complex market which is characterised by significant information asymmetries and unfamiliar technologies. Entrenched inequalities compound these issues; wealthier consumers can afford specialist advice and access peer-to-peer networks that can reduce the likelihood of poor outcomes.
To bridge this gap, the government should develop a national advice strategy. This should put in place the building blocks for an information and advice landscape which helps all consumers navigate the market and make informed choices. Accessible, evidence-based advice and information can help democratise knowledge that otherwise might flow through informal or inaccessible networks. And targeted advice services can reach consumers who are harder to engage but who may benefit the most from energy home upgrade policies.
Ultimately, the success of the Warm Homes Plan hinges on the government meeting this challenge. This means grounding policy and delivery decisions in a robust understanding of how consumers navigate the market, where they seek information and advice, the barriers they encounter and which forms of support deliver the best outcomes.
The government has already taken some positive steps in this direction. The newly announced Warm Homes Agency is expected to play an important role in providing information and oversight of delivery.
However, there have been relatively few detailed proposals outlining how the government should approach the information and advice challenge. This report draws on new qualitative research 7.09 MB to help address that gap and sets out policy recommendations based on our analysis of the current shortcomings in information and advice provision. We identify three levels of consumer support: information, advice and assessments. The government now needs to design a national advice strategy built around those three levels. This requires looking holistically at the information and advice landscape, identifying gaps in provision and strategically strengthening support where it is most needed.
High-level recommendations:
The government must develop a comprehensive national advice strategy, built around improving access to and quality of information provision, advice services and in-home assessments.
Information provision: The government should create a digital directory and information hub - hosted on gov.uk and delivered by the Warm Homes Agency - for consumers looking for evidence-based information on energy home upgrades.
Advice services: The government should design minimum standards for local retrofit services. In addition, a minimum level of advice should also be available to everyone, no matter where they live. This should be free, tailored, independent advice delivered nationally which helps consumers navigate the market.
In-home assessments: Consumers need access to high quality independent assessments and these should be integrated into the design of new energy efficiency schemes and government-backed loans. Digital logbooks should also be rolled out in the retrofit market.
Click here to read Supporting the Shift 3.76 MB
Click here to read the research report 7.09 MB produced by People Powered Retrofit and Shortworks