The Energy Systems Catapult has launched a trial of its Warm Home Prescription (WHP) programme in conjunction with renewable energy company ScottishPower.
The trial will see the installation of improved energy efficiency measures, such as upgraded or new home insulation and even air source heat pumps, as part of ongoing efforts to support vulnerable customers living in homes with low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings.
Catapult will work with local NHS authorities to identify low-income households where people live with health conditions that are sensitive to a cold or damp indoor environment and would benefit from warmer, healthier homes, it said.
Under the new partnership, once homes are identified, ScottishPower will arrange to supply and install appropriate improvements. This may include upgraded or new insulation in lofts, cavity walls and under floors, upgraded heating systems like air source heat pumps and solar panels.
The cost of the upgrades will be delivered at no cost to the householder as part of ScottishPower’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO), a UK Government scheme which sets the targets for all major energy suppliers to help improve homes across the country.
Rebecca Sweeney, Business Leader – Homes, at Energy Systems Catapult said:
“By investing in new and crucial ways of targeting support for households, such as the Warm Home Prescription, we can better support society’s most vulnerable.
“The first-of-its-kind partnership with ScottishPower is a step change in how we target support. We know that Warm Home Prescription delivers beneficial results for low income and vulnerable consumers, so to be working with a national energy supplier in rolling this support out will pay dividends.
“This coordinated delivery alongside a national energy supplier has the potential to reshape how we deliver Warm Home Prescription across the UK. We don’t want to stop here. If there are others – be they energy suppliers or energy organisations – we want to hear from you to help eradicate cold homes across the country.”
Mark Murphy, Head of UK Government Obligations at Scottish Power said:
“The Warm Home Prescription trial’s success is an example of how retrofitting vulnerable homes with insulation and other clean technologies can improve quality of life for customers, while making homes more energy efficient and cheaper to heat in the process.
“The fact that three quarters of former participants would install measures in their homes after the trial shows the value of vital support schemes in delivering better outcomes for energy customers across the UK.”
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