A network approach to overcoming barriers to market engagement for SMEs in energy efficiency initiatives such as the Green Deal

O’Keeffe, Juliette; Gilmour, Daniel J.; Simpson, Edward

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2016.08.006

Cited by 31 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This research identifies the point of sale as the critical juncture in the customer journey in which to promote both the retrofit measures and the financing package in a clear and compelling way to households. This supports previous research which identifies the significance of how costs and benefits of retrofit are presented to households (Hoicka et al, 2014) and the importance of a trusted and competent advisor in disseminating this information (O'Keeffe et al, 2016;Risholt and Berker, 2013). Our findings therefore suggest that schemes are most successful, when the technical and financial elements of the customer offering are integrated by a single competent advisor -as is the case in the German KfW scheme (Rosenow et al, 2013a).…”

Section: Customer Journeysupporting

confidence: 88%

“…These findings support previous critiques of the UK's Green Deal which involved a complex vetting and application process, requiring a separate interface with a third-party provider (O'Keeffe et al, 2016;Rosenow and Eyre, 2016). This complexity may be further compounded when additional policy measures interact with retrofit programs, such as the smart meter rollout (McCoy and Lyons, 2017) reducing household uptake.…”

Section: Customer Journeysupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Although individual elements of a finance mechanism influence the customer journey, the concept summarizes the household's experience of how these elements are integrated. • Complex or lengthy customer journeys have been shown to negatively impact the uptake of residential retrofit finance (O'Keeffe et al, 2016). Specific issues include poor integration with the timing of wider renovations (Fawcett, 2014), complex applications and limited information (Marchand et al, 2015), low trust in the provider (Risholt and Berker, 2013), and a lack of co-ordination with the supply chain (Brown, 2018).…”

Section: Customer Journeymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Worth the risk? An evaluation of alternative finance mechanisms for residential retrofit

2019

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Improving energy efficiency, de-carbonising heating and cooling, and increasing renewable microgeneration in existing residential buildings, is crucial for meeting social and climate policy objectives. This paper explores the challenges of financing this 'retrofit' activity. First, it develops a typology of finance mechanisms for residential retrofit highlighting their key design features, including: the source of capital; the financial instrument(s); the project performance requirements; the point of sale; the nature of the security and underwriting the repayment channel and customer journey. Combining information from interviews and documentary sources, the paper explores how these design features influence the success of the finance mechanisms in different contexts. First, it is shown that a low cost of capital for retrofit finance is critical to the economic viability of whole-house retrofits. Second, by funding non-energy measures such as general improvement works, finance mechanisms can enable broader sources of value that are more highly prized by households. Thirdly, mechanisms that reduce complexity by simplifying the customer journey are likely to achieve much higher levels of uptake. Most importantly we discuss how finance alone is unlikely to be a driver of demand for whole-house retrofit, and so instead should be viewed as a necessary component of a much broader retrofit strategy.

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Section: Customer Journeysupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Customer Journeysupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Customer Journeymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Worth the risk? An evaluation of alternative finance mechanisms for residential retrofit

2019

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“…) represents one of the main opportunities in overcoming the existing barriers[25]. The key aspects of SCM are depicted inFigure 3.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Supply Chain Management for Improved Energy Efficiency: Review and Opportunities

2017

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Energy efficiency represents a key resource for economic and social development, providing substantial benefits to different stakeholders, ranging from the entities which develop energy efficient measures to everyone in society. In addition to cost savings, multiple benefits can be achieved by supporting a better alignment between energy issues and strategic business priorities: e.g., improved competitiveness, profitability, quality, etc. Thus, energy efficiency can be a strategic advantage, not just a marginal issue, for companies. However, most firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), face many problems and, in some cases, hostility when trying to effectively implement energy efficiency actions. The most dominant barriers are the access to capital and the lack of awareness (especially in terms of life cycle cost effects). The supply chain viewpoint represents one of the main opportunities for overcoming those barriers and improving energy performance even for weaker companies. Since the current literature on energy efficiency and practical approaches to ensure energy efficiency mainly focus on energy performance on a single-firm basis, this paper aims to provide a systematic review of papers on the integration of energy efficiency in supply chain design and management published in academic journal, thereby defining potential research streams to close the gaps in the literature. A number of literature reviews have been published focusing on specific aspects of sustainable or on green supply chain management; however, to the best of our knowledge, no review has focused on the energy efficiency issue. Firstly, the present paper shows how considering energy consumption in supply chain management can contribute to more energy-efficient processes from a systemic point of view. Then, the review methodology used is defined and the sampled papers are analyzed and categorized based on the different approaches they propose. From these analyses, potential future research streams are outlined.

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“…Guertler et al (2013) conducted a scathing critique of the policy, blaming issues such as lack of clarity in the policy, overambitious targets, issues with repayment projections, credit costs and poor engagement with consumers, for the policy's failure, criticisms echoed by Rosenow and Eyre (2016). Some of the issues with the Green Deal led to the development of a supporting subsidy, known as the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (O'Keeffe et al, 2016), which was a finite pot to be drawn down to support Green Deal installations. Again, while not directly focused on social housing, it was possible for tenants to apply with agreement from their landlord.…”

Section: Uk Social Housing Stock and Energy Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of sustainable retrofit in UK social housing 2010-2015

Swan

Fitton

Smith

et al. 2017

IJBPA

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Purpose The Retrofit State of the Nation Survey has tracked the perceptions of social housing sector professionals’ views of retrofit since 2010. It has taken the form of three surveys conducted in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Here, the authors bring together the three surveys to specifically address the adoption and perceived effectiveness of retrofit technology in social housing projects. The purpose of this paper is to identify the changing perceptions of social housing professionals over a period of significant policy change within in the sector. Design/methodology/approach The research takes the form of a cross-sectional attitudinal, self-completion survey, covering sections considering the adoption levels and perceived effectiveness of different retrofit technologies. The target sample was medium to larger scale registered social housing providers. The surveys were conducted in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Findings In terms of effectiveness, the reliance on tried and tested technologies is apparent. Emerging or more complex technologies have declined in perceived effectiveness over the period. It is clear that social housing has adopted a wide range of technologies, and the larger providers, with whom this survey is undertaken, potentially represent a significant pool of UK retrofit experience. Originality/value The survey provides a record of the changing attitudes of social housing providers to specific technologies over the period of 2010-2015, which has seen significant changes in the energy and social housing policy. The findings show the link between policy instruments and adoption, with policy instruments mapping to adoption in the sector. Perceived effectiveness reflects a preference for more established technologies, an issue that is highlighted in the recent Bonfield Review.

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A network approach to overcoming barriers to market engagement for SMEs in energy efficiency initiatives such as the Green Deal

Cited by 31 publications

References 16 publications

Worth the risk? An evaluation of alternative finance mechanisms for residential retrofit

Worth the risk? An evaluation of alternative finance mechanisms for residential retrofit

Supply Chain Management for Improved Energy Efficiency: Review and Opportunities

Adoption of sustainable retrofit in UK social housing 2010-2015

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