Research
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.
A key aim of the team is to respond to the diverse challenges across the energy sector and wider society, including energy generation and distribution and network issues; an ageing population; and the transition to a low carbon society, but in particular to understand their implications for vulnerable and fuel-poor households. This has included projects such as the Age Action Alliance research programme; a viewpoint paper for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which considered how the transition to a low carbon society can be socially just; and the evaluation of energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes such as the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP).
Policy
As part of NEA’s Communications Strategy the policy and research team provide a key information and dissemination role aimed at providing key stakeholders with essential information, policy analysis and briefings to assist in the formulation of effective policy and practice that will deliver affordable warmth. The research and policy team regularly submit evidence and respond to consultations initiated by Government, regulators and Parliamentary Select Committees etc. NEA’s policy briefings, covering a range of key fuel poverty and energy related issues, can be found on the Policy Briefings page.
Services provided by the Policy and Research Team
Several services are available to Members and external agencies. Details of how to become a member of NEA are available from our membership page.
- Provide data for your campaigns e.g. fuel poverty estimates and excess winter deaths (free to members).
- Secondary analysis of existing data sets e.g. English Housing Survey
- Develop collaborative research proposals
- Dissemination and synthesis of key fuel poverty and related research
- Respond to your views on what we need to know more about, and getting it on the research agenda.
- Gather intelligence with project officers and local collaborators to strengthen the case for the changes needed.
- Fuel poverty profiling and mapping, and guidance relating to fuel poverty risk and indicators.
If you would like more information about Policy and Research functions and services at NEA, or have any questions please contact:
David Lynch, Senior Policy and Research Officer
Helen Stockton, Senior Policy and Research Officer
Deborah Harrison, Research Officer