Home Visits should aim to deliver ‘quick wins’ – e.g. to reduce energy use and energy bills or to improve the occupants’ thermal comfort (in winter or summer).
Once an occupant demonstrates a level of comfort with the Home Visit, Energy Advisors (EAs) can propose doing a ‘walkthrough’ of the dwelling. The goal is to check for problem areas and offer information or advice about what is needed to address them. During the walkthrough, the EA should clearly explain what can be done in the very near term (including during the visit) to improve thermal comfort or reduce energy consumption for little or no cost versus what will require substantial work and resources. Importantly, the EA should ask questions and offer advice about behaviours that could influence consumption and comfort.
What to check while doing a walkthrough
The EA should examine windows, doors, insulation, heating and cooling systems, lighting and appliances for energy efficiency. They should also be on the look-out for signs of inefficiency – e.g. inadequate insulation, draughts, dampness and mould, and old or inefficient appliances.
Throughout the assessment process, EAs should keep up a friendly chatter with householders, asking questions and practising active listening to elicit information about their energy use habits, challenges they face and any specific areas of concern.
EAs should pay particular attention to safety hazards – and prioritise them within the measures to be taken or advised. Examples include exposed wiring, gas leaks or structural issues. When such issues are noted, EAs should implement any measures that are immediately possible and ensure that householders fully grasp the seriousness of other problems that require professional intervention.
Customised recommendations
Based on the findings, EAs should develop a tailored set of recommendations for each household. This might include a mix of simple behaviour changes, quick fixes or information about what aspects represent bigger challenges. For the first two, EAs can demonstrate how to adopt new habits, undertake simple measures while on site (or schedule a return visit) or provide accessible and easy-to-understand information. For the bigger challenges, they can leave information about available grants and subsidies, or services offered by government agencies or other entities that can help the household implement the recommendations.
Finally, ECs must ‘leave the door open’ for follow-up calls or visits. For people with low energy knowledge or know-how, the initial visit can be overwhelming. They may also feel uncertain as to whether they are adopting new behaviours in the most effective way or nervous about implementing small fixes on their own.
Find out more tips and important considerations for safe and effective Home Visits in Chapter 5 of the Energy Solidarity Toolkit.
Click through to other blogs related to ‘ACT’.
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- Distributing Energy Efficiency or Cosy Kits
- Energy Advice Home Visits
- Local energy production, self-consumption and supply
- Energy production to sell to grids or suppliers
- Production of renewable energy for self-consumption
- Energy sharing: an emerging approach to energy solidarity
- Retail supply of renewable energy
- Shared and Supported Self-Renovation
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