A place partnership within a borough council received funding for residents living in areas of high deprivation with fuel poverty or fuel stress, with chronic health conditions exacerbated by living in a cold and/or damp home. Eligible residents were offered home improvements including the installation of replacement gas boilers, loft insulation and/or cavity wall insulation.
We conducted an impact evaluation to identify whether the intervention was fully taken up, warmed the client’s homes, improved their health and wellbeing, reduced household carbon emissions and whether it was cost-effective. We carried out semi structured interviews with stakeholders including Council leads responsible for programme development and delivery, a GP leading on referring people to the programme and case managers involved in operational delivery. These interviews demonstrated the scope for benefits provided by the Warm Homes programme in terms of individual health and comfort. Quantitative data identified potential benefits in terms of reducing health inequalities and contributing to a reduction in carbon emissions .