Coastline Housing: Community energy saving programme

Because of our work, the Coastline team can put its social value at the heart of its programmes and meet the requirements of the Public Services (Social Value) Act. It is using Indicate®, to develop the skills to capture social value with in-house resources. Crucially, it plans to use our report to attract further funding from the public and private sectors to invest in its communities.

Cornwall’s reputation as a holiday destination masks the realities of severe pockets of deprivation and rural isolation, which is exacerbated by the demise of its tin mining industry. Fuel poverty is a real issue and one which Coastline Housing takes seriously. In 2013, the Association committed to measures to help its residents combat rising domestic fuel costs.

Coastline and its partners, the Mark Group, secured more than £2.4 million funding from electricity supplier EDF, via the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESPA). This was part of an EU drive to reduce carbon emissions. 

Residents’ homes were fitted with external wall insulation, draft proofing, loft insulation and boiler upgrades. As well as creating significant energy savings, the works vastly improved the look and feel of people’s homes.  

Identifying social value. We worked with Coastline to develop an Indicate® system that suited its needs, resources and aims. The self-evaluation tool was able to help the housing association identify the social value it adds to its communities. 

Its fuel efficiency programme had direct impacts on fuel poverty. Indicate® also helped to identify and clarify wider social outcomes such as increased neighbourhood pride and improvements to mental well-being as the stresses of fuel poverty reduced.