Update on Each Home Counts

Late last year, Elmhurst announced the publication of the ‘Each Home Counts’ (EHC) Report; Elmhurst have been heavily involved in the Industry response to ensure the recommendations from the report happen.

An Implementation Board was set up immediately to work on developing action plans and timelines against the recommendations.

Each Home Counts has a total of 27 recommendations and sets out a new quality and standards framework for all those operating in the sector. This includes the setting up of:

• A quality mark against which all those engaged in design and installation of measures will be assessed and certified against
• A Consumer Charter to ensure consumers receive excellent customer service, and access to redress procedures when things go wrong
• A Code of Conduct for companies operating in the home renewable energy and energy efficiency sector
• Technical Codes of Practice and standards for the installation of home renewable energy and energy efficiency measures so that the risk of poor-quality installation is minimised
• Development of an Information Hub and Data Warehouse.

To enable the recommendations to occur, the Board created a number of Workstreams of which Elmhurst have been involved in the two most relevant tasks to our part of the energy efficiency industry; notably the ‘Information Hub & Data Warehouse’ and  ‘Measurement, Monitoring and Verification’. Each of the Workstreams is headed up by an Industry expert (see table below), who have formed groups with experts from that particular area.

Elmhurst have ensured that at the heart of our input is the most important message that

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”.

Whilst lots of the EHC teams are involved in the quality framework surrounding installations and consumer protection, Elmhurst’s expertise has always been in giving families good advice regarding energy efficiency measures that are applicable to their home (based on independent energy assessments).

It is therefore great news that all the teams we have been involved with understand that installed measures must be the ‘best’ and ‘most appropriate’ to the home and the family occupying the home in question.

For too long energy efficient installations have occurred in isolation, sometimes to meet grant funding requirements, taking little heed to the asset (the home) or the family (the occupants). Elmhurst have therefore ensured that at the heart of good advice there must be an asset rating, which for the UK is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC); factored with some basic occupational information, then the outcome i.e. the energy efficient measures should be the correct one(s) for the home and the family that live in the home.

Stuart Fairlie Technical Director at Elmhurst states; "We are very pleased with the progress so far on the whole of the EHC. The outcome needs to ensure that the home and the family use independent information and advice, so that the family are given the ‘best’ advice about what will make the most appropriate improvement to their home. Everyone we talk to understands that this is the important first step to making homes warmer and cheaper to run. The rest of the framework regarding the quality of the installs is also vital, but the measures must be the ‘right’ one(s) in the first place. At the heart of all of this is the EPC and this must be undertaken in an independent manner, free from influence.”

Elmhurst will keep members up to date with progress on the EHC as it progresses.

EHC Workstreams

For Further Information:

http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/each-home-matters-report-published

http://www.eachhomecounts.com/