This project is all about sharing home energy efficiency and retrofit advice more widely, working with local community organisations to engage residents, through in-person events and sharing energy advice. The aim is to empower local organisations to become facilitators of retrofit and energy advice. 

The Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project is one of 36 government-funded pilot schemes to provide in-person energy advice. CSE is leading the project in the West of England area and a second one in Swindon and Wiltshire.

Our partners are Bath and West Community Energy (BWCE), Bristol Energy Network (BEN) and the South West Net Zero Hub.

Calling on these organisations’ expertise in retrofit and energy efficiency advice, and building on their existing local knowledge, community groups will be able to give homeowners the tools they need to embark on their home improvement journeys.

This includes facilitating Green Open Homes events to inspire the community in their retrofit journeys and help them access ongoing retrofit support and home assessments.

If you’re a local community group looking to get involved, find out how.

Fixing barriers to local retrofit

A key component of the project is to support hard-to-reach households and hard-to-treat properties that may otherwise be excluded from retrofit conversations. What do we mean by this?

• Hard-to-reach households can mean those who are particularly isolated or rural or digitally excluded. But it also includes people who don’t know what ‘retrofit’ means or who feel they are unable to make significant home improvements. This can be because of concern around costs, lack of confidence or worries about the disruption caused by building work.

• Hard-to-treat homes are those that aren’t typically thought of as eligible for retrofit, for example, older or listed buildings, park homes, off-gas homes, or homes in conservation areas.

Providing in-person advice can help overcome many barriers to getting on with the job of retrofitting our homes. Real-life examples of successful retrofit – especially in older or quirkier buildings – can inspire others. And meeting people where they are helps to include members of the community who may not be aware of the steps they can take – many of which are straightforward and can attract funding.

Community-led approach

To help us achieve this, we’re looking to work with local organisations and community groups. Local groups have valuable knowledge about the areas they operate in and the people that live there.

We’re offering bespoke packages to help local community groups promote the benefits of retrofit to others and inspire them to take up energy-efficiency measures.

CSE will support local groups to run their own Green Open Homes events where people invite others into their homes to look at and discuss improvements they have made. This can be anything from draught-proofing or insulation measures to low carbon heat or renewable energy installations.

Real-life examples offer a first-hand look at what can be achieved and give people the opportunity to talk to the homeowner about their retrofit journey. And there’s potential for other events such as tours of un0-retrofitted homes where an experienced retrofit assessor can discuss the opportunities to make improvements.

CSE will also provide training to community groups so that they are better able to engage residents and offer retrofit advice at the open home events and beyond. They will also be able to help residents access a range of free and subsidised home energy surveys to make informed next steps.  

Are you a community group?

If you’re a local community group, this is a great opportunity to support retrofit in your area with grants to help facilitate open-home events. We’ve put together a bespoke support and training package you can access for free. Our resources will empower you to engage your community to make home improvements which will reduce heat loss and save energy in the long term.

What you get from us:

• Grants of up to £5,000 per event, and support for Open Homes events.
• Incentives for people opening their homes (e.g. vouchers for cleaning).
• Free training, tailored to your needs.
• Free home surveys for several participating homes in your community.
• Resources, materials and briefings for home openers and volunteers.
• Information about signposting to advice, subsidised surveys and whole house plans.
• Help with other local events you want to put on.

What we need you to do:

• Provide a single, responsive point of contact or lead.
• Commit to running one or more Open Homes events in your community in 2024.
• Identify 5-10 homes for each event, showcasing a range of house types and different approaches to making improvements.
• Recruit home openers and supporting them before and during the event(s).
• Promote events locally through your community networks and channels.
• Offer energy efficiency advice, and record home and visitor numbers.
• Refer to trusted providers for further advice.