The Scottish Government’s Area Based Scheme (ABS) project aims to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions by:
- Reducing energy consumption,
- Improving health and wellbeing, and
- Increasing the energy efficiency of Scotland’s housing stock.
In 2022-23, following receipt of grant funding, Midlothian Council installed external wall insulation (EWI) at residential properties in Bonnyrigg. Changeworks helped Midlothian Council evaluate the success of the 2022-2023 EWI project.
How did we evaluate the project?
Changeworks’ evaluation framework for retrofit projects has been developed and refined on live projects since 2017. It is based on a results chain that meets the needs of funding programmes and has clear indicators of success.
For this project we gathered data on households’ lived experience, energy consumption, environmental conditions within the home, and carried out analysis of the changes in Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) bands.
By using a number of different data collection methods, including directly engaging with households, we built a rounded picture of the impacts on households.
Project area
To ensure the project helps the people who need it most, careful selection of area and properties is necessary. Several data sets helped to identify areas at high risk of fuel poverty. These included income deprivation rates from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020, as well as EPC bands.
Through careful targeting, the project included 30 households living in extreme fuel poverty. As a result, these households were able to access extra funding towards their measures.
What were the results?
- Lower energy bills
- Improved householder wellbeing
- Increased energy efficiency ratings
Lower energy bills
Our findings showed that EWI lowered household energy bills. At the start of the project, around half of respondents had energy bills of more that £2,400 annually and found it unaffordable to heat their homes. After the project, responses showed that people found their bills more affordable and said that their energy usage had gone down.
Improved householder wellbeing
Survey feedback showed that people were warmer and more comfortable at home after the project. This was backed up by indoor temperature data.
“It’s no longer cold in the vennel bedroom, as you fixed the draft. It costs less to keep the house at a comfortable temperature.”
Everyone who gave feedback said they felt less worried or stressed about their energy bills after the install of EWI. Before the project, everyone said they were either ‘sometimes’ or ‘always’ worried about their energy bills.
Increased energy efficiency
The insulation raised average EPC ratings into the top half of Band C. The average EE rating increased by 7 points, with semi-detached bungalows achieving the greatest improvement (10 points on average).
Overall satisfaction
The vast majority of people who gave feedback were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the installation of the EWI, and that the improvements had met their expectations. Everyone said that the EWI had improved the external appearance of their property.
Why evaluate?
This evaluation collected evidence to demonstrate how well the project achieved its goals. This enables project leaders to showcase the work after it has been completed. It also evidences the impact the project has had, both the expected and the unexpected, and captures learnings that will strengthen future projects.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how evaluation can help with your work, get in touch.