The Warm Homes Fund (WHF), set up by National Grid and community interest company, Affordable Warmth Solutions is one of the largest fuel poverty programmes across Great Britain, representing private sector investment of £150m. The fund is split into three broad categories:
- Category 1 is focused on urban homes and communities, primarily through first time gas central heating systems;
- Category 2 is focused on rural homes and communities, primarily through ‘non-gas’ solutions such as LPG or heat pumps; and
- Category 3 aims to provide energy efficiency and/or health related advice and solutions for householders.
The evaluation is being delivered over a period of 44 months by Newcastle University, NEA, and Energy Audit Company, who together comprise the WHF programme evaluation consortium. The principle objectives of the evaluation are to:
- Determine the social and economic benefits from the WHF investment (return on investment)
- Develop a framework of appropriate input, output and impact measures which will provide a basis on which delivery performance can be assessed
- Determine the extent to which the support has reached the households most in need and any regional differences, specifically between England, Scotland and Wales
- Produce a blueprint model that could be used to inform policy makers on options for delivering future large-scale energy efficiency programmes.
This summary interim report presents early findings from the first wave of fieldwork, conducted between November 2019 and April 2020. The evaluation is due to conclude in December 2022. Case studies can be viewed below.
