ecocentre consultation final report phil beardmore 1 march 2011

EcoCentre consultation

Final report Phil Beardmore1 March 2011

What the public are telling us

• General support for the idea of an EcoCentre• Interest in and support for the proposed

activities• Most agree that a venue is needed but a

minority disagree or not sure• The name ‘EcoCentre’ polarised people – 2/3

agreed, 1/3 disagreed or not sure• Some suggest alternative names


• Only half of people know where to get energy advice

• Nearly half say they would be interested in volunteering

• A significant number of people say they wouldn’t volunteer because they already do lots of voluntary activity


• Interest in ‘seeing is believing’ model of energy/retrofit advice

• Most are already trying to ‘do their bit’• About half grow some of their own food• Very limited interest in garden sharing• Most view environmental issues as important

or very important


• But their behaviour lags behind their level of interest – the ‘Value Action Gap’

• Returns suggest that less than 20% are in fuel poverty

How robust is the external data?• Respondents represent a mix of income

groups but mostly more affluent• Overwhelmingly older people, most age

groups well represented except under 18s• Around 60% female• Overwhelmingly White British• Around half belong to a faith group• Overwhelmingly Christian

How robust is the external data?• 12% describe themselves as having a disability• Over 4/5 heterosexual, some bisexual, lesbian,

5% rather not say

Occupational background

AB C1 C2 D E retired0

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Our survey

2001 Census – Moseley and Kings Heath ward

What the desk research tells us• Opportunities around whole-house retrofit;

sustainable living linked to retrofit• Environmental business opportunities around

microgeneration, retrofit, new reuse/recycling businesses, crafts, local food

• Things that make a difference, and • Things that there is a demand for and

someone somewhere will pay for it

Where are the opportunities?

Incubating green business

• Many are cottage industries • Can an environmental business centre sustain

itself?

What the desk research tells us• There are many hard to treat homes in Kings

Heath• There is a wide variety of environmental

attitudes and behaviours in the area

Ward name Property type

Tenure Loft insulation

Property age

External wall type

Glazing type Main heating fuel

Main heating system

Moseley and Kings Heath(10,868)

Mostly terraced including flat conversions

57% owner occupier, 9.5% private rent, 20.5% housing assn

Most with less than 250mm

More than 2/3 pre-1950

Mostly solid, some filled cavity,

Approx half single glazed

Mostly mains gas

Mostly gas central heating, approx half condensing boilers

Billesley(10,752 homes)

Around half semi detached, then terraced, flats

54% owner occupier, 20.7% private rent, 7.7% BCC

Most with less than 250mm

More than half 1930-49

Half filled cavity, 10% unfilled cavity, 40% solid

Half full double glazing, quarter single glazed

Mostly mains gas

Half gas central heating, 38% condensing boiler, some storage heaters, warm air, room heaters

Brandwood (11,014 homes)

Around half semi detached, half terraced, some detached

66% owner occupier, 12% private rent, 6.6% BCC

Around 10% 250mm or more

Mostly post 1930

Around 40% solid walls, 1/3 filled cavity, some unfilled cavity

More than half double glazing

Mostly mains gas

Mostly gas central heating, approx half condensing boilers, around 25% warm air

Springfield (9,439 homes)

Mostly terraced, some semi detached

76% owner occupier, 12% private rent, 6% housing association

Around 15% 250mm or more

Mostly pre 1949

Mostly solid walls

Mostly full double glazing

Mostly mains gas

Mostly gas central heating, approx one third condensing boilers, 13% room heaters

Sparkbrook(9,786 homes)

Mostly terraced, some semi detached

53% owner occupier, 25% housing association, 11% private rent

Mostly 250mm or less

More than two thirds pre 1930, around one quarter post war

Around three quarters solid walls, one quarter filled cavity

More than half full double glazing

Mostly mains gas

Mostly gas central heating, approx half condensing boiler, some room heaters and warm air

Fuel poverty – statistics

Ward Percentage in fuel poverty – full income Billesley 6.56Brandwood 6.35Moseley and Kings Heath 6.98Sparkbrook and Sparkhill 8.18

Fuel poverty – self-reported

Question: How much do you agree with the following sentence: “I can afford the cost of keeping warm in winter?”

1 Strongly disagree 3%

2 9%

3 30%

4 28%

5 Strongly agree 28%

To group households into segment groups with

similar characteristics and service needs

Group Segment Labels

A Career professionals living in choicest housing

B Younger families living in new private estates

C Older white families living in traditional private housing in established neighborhoods

D Families, largely from Asian origin living in semis in suburban areas

E Families with children living in low-value terraced houses

F Diverse (large) families, but mainly from South Asian origin living in privately rented inner city terraces

G Diverse young well-educated people living in areas of mobile populations

H Diverse (younger) population with uncertain employment living in (estate based) social housing

I Low income (largely white) families living in estate based outer suburban social housing

J Mostly white families living in homes bought from social landlords

K Older, vulnerable white adults mostly living in social housing

L Largely independent older white adults living in privately owned homes

Defra’s segmentation model

Our segmentation resultsQuestion: How important are environmental issues to you personally?

1 Not at all important 0%

2 3%

3 7%

4 26%

5 Very important 62%

Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovators theory

• Innovators• Early Adopters• Early Majority• Late Majority• Laggards

The S Curve

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% market penetration

laggards

majority

Innovators

An S Curve for Kings Heath

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% market penetration

Loft/cavity insulation

Condensing boil-ers, growing food

Photovoltaics, permaculture

What the case studies tell us• There are significant risks in running an EcoCentre or

other environmental building, these are common to all case studies

• Financial risks associated with acquisition of a building

• Ongoing asset management risks• Financial risks associated with under-use or under-

occupation of building• Do you need a running track? • Is Alan Sugar right?

Type of risk What strategies do others use to mitigate the risk?

Is this risk mitigation strategy available to KHTI?

Financial risks associated with acquisition of a building

Share the building with other environmental organisations e.g. Brighton Peace and Environment Centre

Yes, if we can find organisations that can make money to subsidise non-profitable activities

Share the building with other non-environmental organisations

Few options available for All Saints. Could bunk up with someone else short term

Raise an easily accessible and manageable form of low-risk capital funding

No – ERDF is too difficult and too risky

Getting hold of a building at very low or zero cost e.g. Northfield EcoCentre

No

Eliminate the risk by renting or bunking up with someone else

Yes if we can find someone in Kings Heath



Ongoing asset management risks

Have staff members or active board members with AM expertise, e.g. BFOE, Northfield EcoCentre

Not currently

Use someone else’s asset – Old Home Superhome, Open Gardens

Yes but with limitations

Employ a third party to manage the asset, e.g. Brighton Peace and Environment Centre

Possibly



Financial risks associated with under-use or under-occupation of building

Make sure you are able to attract and replenish a base of tenant/users that are able to pay

Probably not with current structure

Subsidise building running costs through a membership fee structure e.g. BFOE

No

Subsidise building running costs through projects funded by grants e.g. BFOE

No

Share building with others Possibly

Reduced opening hours e.g. Leicester EcoHouse, Northfield EcoCentre

Yes

What the case studies tell us

• BFOE have made a multi-use environmental building work

• BFOE have over 200 volunteers a year but struggle to fund the management of them

• Have moved from a year-to-year view of AM to a long-term view but this has been very difficult


• Balsall Heath Is Our Planet – media has trivialised words like ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ but people understand ‘energy saving’

• Most people won’t go to a specialist centre but more will to an existing venue to learn about environmental things

• Activities should be seasonal e.g., draughtproofing in winter


• Demonstration buildings are limited by time• Old Home, Superhome works because it

eliminates most of the risks associated with a permanent demonstration project

• Demonstration projects should be clear about what they are demonstrating and to whom


• Northfield Ecocentre has moved from original aims of demonstration and education

• Focus on energy advice and reskilling• Activities mostly delivered outside of

Ecocentre• Significant financial support from Quakers • Social enterprise direction not grants


• South Yorkshire Energy Centre has moved from a demonstration building to a fuel poverty advice project aimed at poor families

• Most advice delivered off-site• On-site activities linked to Heeley City Farm


• Martineau Gardens is an attractive site but is unable to cover running costs

• Discussions about new building since 2000


• GROFUN works well in Kings Heath• High input from group leader• Could link to Big Lunch• Incredible Edible Todmorden – faced backlash

from NIMBYs, has Lottery Funding• Concrete to Coriander – high input from

worker


• Advocacy, campaigning or service delivery?• Who defines need – communities or statutory

organisations?

Growth Share Analysis

Proposed new sources of fundingCapital Revenue

Business Rental income from environmental businessesIncome from delivery of EPCs through Green Deal

Individuals Possible share issue for renewable energy based on repayment through fit/rhi income, would need org with suitable structure, e.g. community energy company

Income from entrance fees for classes, groups, eventsPossible membership structure

Trusts and foundations Community Spaces Community SpacesStatutory organisations FutureBuilders via All Saints

Community Development Company

Income from delivery of energy advice/installation services through BES etc

If you don't know where you are going, you are sure to end up somewhere else. Mark Twain

A goal without a plan is just a wish. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Failing to plan, is planning to fail. Anonymous

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Lao-tzu, 604BCE-531BCE

SMART objectives

Revised SMART objectivesExemplar building – demonstrating specific technologies e.g. solid wall insulation to early adopters; identifying audience; marketing; exploring link to Birmingham Energy Savers; measuring success; monitoring impact on visitors.

Source of advice and information/enabler of individual change - a green doctor type model linked to retrofit programmes; specific number of people benchmarked against other schemes; whole-house retrofit or piecemeal one measure at a time; reskilling activities based on unmet need e.g. foraging, bike maintenance

These two objectives have been merged as discussed at the 6 December workshop

Revised SMART objectives

Centre for Community Action – focus on community orchard as focus for community action

Incubator for green business – need for businesses that are viable and can pay the rent; ‘cottage industry’ green businesses do not need a permanent presence

A self-sustaining business – we need certainty that we have strategies to manage the major risks of capital funding, asset management, under-occupation.

Recommendations

• Look at delivery models which do and don’t involve a building and where there is unmet need

• Consider what changes KHTI needs to move from advocacy/campaigning to service delivery

• Continue to look for environmental business partners

• Only proceed with a building project if there is certainty we can manage the risks

• Business plan should look at Kings Heath Transition as a whole not just EcoCentre

Key business planning activities

• Revisit the mission statement• What kind of sustainability leadership in KH?• Understanding purpose of business plan• Gathering external information • Which activities add most value and make most difference?• Sorting out the numbers; a full resource plan; budget and

cashflow; asset management plan• Prioritised SMART objectives and action plan, not shopping

list• Look at capacity to deliver activities and manage risk• Get expert technical advice if necessary

ecocentre consultation final report phil beardmore 1 march 2011

Documents

half of people

solid half

important slide

area slide

christian slide

fuel poverty slide

kings heath ward slide

voluntary activity slide