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Living in cold homes after heating improvements: Evidence from Warm-Front, England's Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

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  • Critchley, Roger
  • Gilbertson, Jan
  • Grimsley, Michael
  • Green, Geoff

Abstract

Objective To investigate explanatory factors for persistent cold temperatures in homes which have received heating improvements.Design Analysis of data from a national survey of dwellings and households (in England occupied by low-income residents) that had received heating improvements or repairs under the Warm Front Scheme.Methods Over the winters of 2001-02 and 2002-03, householders recorded living room and main bedroom temperatures in a diary. Entries were examined for 888 households, which had received high level heating interventions. Two hundred and twenty-two households were identified as occupying cold homes, with mean bedroom temperature below 16 °C or mean living room temperatures below 18 °C. Binary logistic regression was used to model dwelling and household features and then occupants' behaviour and attitudes in the [`]cold homes' sub-set compared with the remainder of the high intervention group. Seventy-nine supplementary, structured telephone interviews explored reasons given for lower temperatures. Using graphical and tabular methods, householders preferring cooler homes were distinguished from those who felt constrained in some way.Results Cold homes predominate in pre-1930 properties where the householder remains dissatisfied with the heating system despite major improvements funded by Warm Front. Residents of cold homes are less likely to have long-standing illness or disability, but more likely to experience anxiety or depression. A small sample of telephone interviews reveals those preferring lower temperatures for health or other reasons, report less anxiety and depression than those with limited control over their home environment. Their [`]thermal resistance' to higher temperatures challenges orthodox definitions of comfort and fuel poverty.

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  • Critchley, Roger & Gilbertson, Jan & Grimsley, Michael & Green, Geoff, 2007. "Living in cold homes after heating improvements: Evidence from Warm-Front, England's Home Energy Efficiency Scheme," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 147-158, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:84:y:2007:i:2:p:147-158
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chandola, Tarani & Kuper, Hannah & Singh-Manoux, Archana & Bartley, Mel & Marmot, Michael, 2004. "The effect of control at home on CHD events in the Whitehall II study: Gender differences in psychosocial domestic pathways to social inequalities in CHD," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(8), pages 1501-1509, April.
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    Cited by:

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    5. Papafragkou, Anastasios & Ghosh, Siddhartha & James, Patrick A.B. & Rogers, Alex & Bahaj, AbuBakr S., 2014. "A simple, scalable and low-cost method to generate thermal diagnostics of a domestic building," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 519-530.
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    7. Sowoo Park & Joowook Kim & Doosam Song, 2019. "The Effect of an Energy Refurbishment Scheme on Adequate Warmth in Low-income Dwellings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-13, May.
    8. Liddell, Christine & Morris, Chris, 2010. "Fuel poverty and human health: A review of recent evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 2987-2997, June.
    9. Stefan Bouzarovski, 2014. "Energy poverty in the European Union: landscapes of vulnerability," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(3), pages 276-289, May.
    10. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2015. "Fuel poverty, affordability, and energy justice in England: Policy insights from the Warm Front Program," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P1), pages 361-371.
    11. Saska Petrova & Michael Gentile & Ilkka Henrik Mäkinen & Stefan Bouzarovski, 2013. "Perceptions of Thermal Comfort and Housing Quality: Exploring the Microgeographies of Energy Poverty in Stakhanov, Ukraine," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(5), pages 1240-1257, May.
    12. Richard A. Sharpe & Katrina M. Wyatt & Andrew James Williams, 2022. "Do the Determinants of Mental Wellbeing Vary by Housing Tenure Status? Secondary Analysis of a 2017 Cross-Sectional Residents Survey in Cornwall, South West England," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-32, March.
    13. Kearns, Ade & Whitley, Elise & Curl, Angela, 2019. "Occupant behaviour as a fourth driver of fuel poverty (aka warmth & energy deprivation)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 1143-1155.
    14. Middlemiss, Lucie & Stevens, Merel & Ambrosio-Albalá, Pepa & Pellicer-Sifres, Victoria & van Grieken, Amy, 2023. "How do interventions for energy poverty and health work?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    15. Russell Hitchings & Rosie Day, 2011. "How Older People Relate to the Private Winter Warmth Practices of Their Peers and Why We Should Be Interested," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 43(10), pages 2452-2467, October.
    16. Lomas, K.J. & Oliveira, S. & Warren, P. & Haines, V.J. & Chatterton, T. & Beizaee, A. & Prestwood, E. & Gething, B., 2018. "Do domestic heating controls save energy? A review of the evidence," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 52-75.
    17. O'Sullivan, Kimberley C. & Howden-Chapman, Philippa L. & Fougere, Geoff, 2011. "Making the connection: The relationship between fuel poverty, electricity disconnection, and prepayment metering," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 733-741, February.
    18. Gilbertson, Jan & Grimsley, Michael & Green, Geoff, 2012. "Psychosocial routes from housing investment to health: Evidence from England's home energy efficiency scheme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 122-133.
    19. Willand, Nicola & Ridley, Ian & Maller, Cecily, 2015. "Towards explaining the health impacts of residential energy efficiency interventions – A realist review. Part 1: Pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 191-201.
    20. Hardy, A. & Glew, D. & Gorse, C., 2019. "Assessing the equity and effectiveness of the GB energy price caps using smart meter data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 179-185.

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