Client
CosyDevon, a partnership of nine councils in Devon
Client objective
Supporting CosyDevon to deliver grants to local residents struggling to pay their energy bills, as part of DECC’s £25 million Central Heating Fund (CHF).
CosyDevon, an existing partnership of nine councils in Devon, selected AgilityEco to prepare a bid for CHF funding to enable fuel-poor households to enjoy central heating for the first time. AgilityEco supported CosyDevon throughout the design, administration and delivery of the programme.
Our approach
The Central Heating Fund competition opened in March 2015 and winning bids were announced on 2nd September 2015. Proposals had to demonstrate how their plans would help lift households out of fuel poverty through installation of a new central heating system.
AgilityEco, with assistance from National Energy Action (NEA), prepared a winning bid alongside CosyDevon, an existing partnership of nine councils in Devon. AgilityEco submitted two bids in total for the CHF award – one for CosyDevon and the other for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council – both were successful in achieving funding.
Competing with a total of 81 bids from over 100 local authorities, AgilityEco helped ensure the CosyDevon proposal presented compelling arguments on a range of value-for-money solutions for fuel-poor households to enjoy central heating for the first time.
The proposal also outlined support and outreach to those struggling with the cost of connecting to the mains gas grid. Only 20 of the bids from local authorities across England won a share of the £25 million fund. AgilityEco then set about supporting CosyDevon throughout the design, administration and delivery of the programme.
- SectorLocal Authorities
- ServiceFunding & Finance, Project Management
Our solution
With one in ten households in the South-West currently in fuel poverty*, the CosyDevon initiative intended to save eligible families up to £1000 per year. AgilityEco designed a scheme that brought together three different sources of funding – CHF, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Fuel Poverty Network Extension Scheme (FPNES) - to enable CosyDevon to offer fully funded systems to these eligible families.
AgilityEco quickly established a business process and customer journey to ensure that applicants received a professional and seamless service. With a dedicated call centre and allocated trained staff to manage incoming calls, AgilityEco was able to walk potential applicants through the eligibility process quickly and efficiently.
AgilityEco handled over 1000 enquiries up until the scheme closure date in September 2016. Managing and co-ordinating a number of external organisations - E.ON, Wales & West (the gas Distribution Network Operator) and Integrated Energy Services (their contractor) - we are now on course to ensure that about 250 families will enjoy a warmer, more comfortable home in time for winter 2016.
* Fuel Poverty Statistics, NEA: http://www.nea.org.uk/media/fuel-poverty-statistics/
£25 millionA share of £25m CosyDevon
1 in 10Households in the South-West in fuel poverty
1,000+Enquiries handled on behalf of CosyDevon
“The nine councils in the CosyDevon partnership were extremely impressed with AgilityEco’s successful bid for the Central Heating Fund and with the day-to-day management of the programme, dealing with hundreds of enquiries and filtering eligible candidates sensitively yet efficiently. We’re delighted with the response that the scheme has had and we’re looking forward to seeing the hard-pressed, fuel-poor families across Devon enjoying the benefits of central heating this winter.”
Alison Dolley
Private Sector Housing Team Leader
Teignbridge Council
How can we help?
Our team’s extensive knowledge and experience, along with our strong partner network enable us to plan, manage and source funding for energy efficiency and carbon reduction projects. We’ve built and delivered some of the largest and most successful energy efficiency programmes in the UK.
