Policy and Research Team

The policy and research team provide a core function of NEA’s role in fighting fuel poverty. With almost 20 years combined experience of research into fuel poverty and domestic energy issues, the team provide valuable research which is used to campaign for greater investment and targeting of resources to tackle fuel poverty and provide policy insight. Research is used by NEA to support wider campaigning and delivery activities across the organisation and to assist and inform regional and national partners, including government departments such as the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), to develop domestic energy and fuel poverty policies.

The dynamic nature of fuel poverty and changing environment in which it exists have required the team to diversify its activities and become more strategic and reflexive. In more recent years the team has broadened its research activities and themes, this new outlook has been achieved by actively developing local, national and international partnerships whilst also seeking to develop new ones across the energy sector and academia. For example, NEA has recently forged new partnerships with distribution network operator CE electric, Durham University and the University of Teesside, collaborating in major research programmes such as the Customer Led Network Revolution and SEMANCO.

In recognition of the value of collaborative partnerships NEA and the Social Policy and Social Work Department (SPSW) at the University of York are working together to meet common objectives regarding fuel poverty, energy policy and research. Given NEA’s position as the leading UK fuel poverty charity, and that of the SPSW Department of the University of York as a leading UK centre for teaching and research, common objectives for a partnership which is truly collaborative have been developed. NEA and the University of York see this as an important opportunity to inform and maintain the profile and credibility of fuel poverty campaigns at a time of significant policy change and flux. More ...