Health and Innovation Programme

The Health and Innovation Programme (HIP) was a £26.2 million programme to bring affordable warmth to fuel poor and vulnerable households in England, Scotland and Wales.

The programme launched in April 2015 and was designed and administered by NEA as part of an agreement with Ofgem and energy companies to make redress for non-compliance of licence conditions/obligations. To date, it remains the biggest GB-wide programme implemented by a charity which puts fuel poverty alleviation at its heart.

The programme comprised 3 funds:

Warm and Healthy Homes Fund (WHHF): to provide heating, insulation and energy efficiency measures for households most at risk of fuel poverty or cold-related illness through health and housing partnerships and home improvement agencies
Technical Innovation Fund (TIF): To fund and investigate the impact on fuel poverty of a range of new technologies
Warm Zones Fund (WZF): to install heating and insulation and provide an income maximisation service to households in or at risk of fuel poverty, delivered cost-effectively through partnership arrangements managed by NEA’s not-for-profit subsidiary Warm Zones Community Interest Company.

Some of the key achievements (to 31 March 2017) include:

8,700 households receiving at least one measure (forecast to increase to over 9,000 during 2017/18; exceeding the target by 36%)
10,603 measures installed
70 grants awarded
1,448 frontline workers trained, with the potential to reach 450,240 people per annum
2,090 people provided with advice and support through community engagement activities
£5.304 million additional income confirmed as secured for WZF clients following benefits entitlement checks, and forecast to exceed £6m per annum in 2017/18
3% of households assessed moved up one or more EPC bands
Significant improvements in residents’ comfort, wellbeing, and energy affordability.

The Health and Innovation Programme Impact Report can be downloaded here.

To find out more about the three funds click on the links below.