The Context

Recent national statistics reveal that Coventry is one of the worst affected authorities in the country by fuel poverty, with some areas recording more than 50% of households in fuel poverty.

Understanding the challenge of engaging residents with retrofit measures in the local area is crucial for the success of the Coventry’s net zero roadmap.

The Research

Using a place-based approach and working with the local communities in Coventry, the team prototyped and tested a new experimental methodology with elements of design thinking to better understand barriers to engagement with retrofit measures designed to reduce household carbon emissions and alleviate fuel poverty.

With the support of experienced arts professionals and a local school in Radford, St. Augustine’s Catholic Primary School, the project engaged children in creative and interactive activities to reach out the adult population living in the area. The objective of the project was to increase awareness of retrofit measures and undertake research to help understand barriers to engagement with schemes designed to improve residents’ house energy efficiency.

The Workshops

The workshops, facilitated by Warwick researchers, members of the Council, student ambassadors, teachers, and local artists, included an interactive workshop on energy conservation, 3D models of energy efficient homes, and a final celebratory event with adults engaged in discussions on barriers to housing retrofitting, where children’s work and learning was also showcased. Parents turnout was extremely high, highlighting the potential of using similar approaches to work with local communities and address the challenges of climate change.

The information gathered from these workshops has informed the development of a survey that has been distributed to all parents in the school and will guide future iterations of the methodology in areas of Coventry where engagement with retrofit measures is particularly low.

“Using a bottom-up and human-centred approach to the problem of housing retrofitting, this project has the potential to build capacity for driving real change and contribute to the acceleration of the Coventry’s net zero agenda, fostering decision-making processes able to reflect the needs and aspirations of the local community.

By embracing creativity, we hope that this pilot study will be a catalyst for change and inspire other residents in Coventry to increase their take up of government schemes aimed at creating healthy homes, reducing carbon emissions, energy bills, and fuel poverty.”

Dr Lory Barile, Department of Economics, University of Warwick.

• The survey is still open here: Retrofit Rocks! project
• Coventry residents are invited to fill it in and enter a draw for one of three £50 Love2shop vouchers.

The Outputs

The project team is currently working on creating an online educational resource that all schools across the City can access.

"Lory worked with artists, teachers at St Augustin’s RC Primary School and Coventry City Council to develop a teaching pack, which schools across the City will be able to use to raise the awareness of children and families about domestic energy efficiency."

Bret Willers, Head of Climate Change at Coventry City Council

Following analysis of the survey and reflections on the project a research report will be produced and provided to Coventry City Council to help inform other projects.