Since early 2023, various teams at Futures have been working closely together with customers to figure out the best way to talk to, involve, and help customers whose homes will get free energy efficiency upgrades.
Last March, Futures was given a £3 million grant for 'Wave 2.1' of a national government-backed scheme to make our customers' homes more energy efficient. Just over 300 customers will receive these free measures, so we took this funding as a chance to improve our communication for the second wave of customers, something which we couldn't do without actually involving them.
To do this we used 'My Voice', our online customer community. All customers who'll be receiving free energy improvements to their home will receive a series of letters to guide them through the process, and we've shared all of these with My Voice members. They've told us what they like and where we need to be clearer, they asked questions we hadn't thought of and most importantly, had their say on something that effects them and their home.
Why does retrofitting matter?
Retrofitting is all about making existing buildings more energy efficient. This means improving how well they trap heat, making them easier to warm up, and switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Older homes can be tricky to heat, especially ones with problems like:
- dampness
- draughts
- poor insulation.
Making these homes easier to warm up not only saves money but also makes them healthier places to live. This helps our customers to enjoy safe and comfortable homes.
Engaging My Voice in the retrofitting journey
In total we've shared five letters with customers on My Voice. The first was to make people aware their home had been selected, the second to advise them of the types of measures likely to be suitable for their home, third to confirm the exact measures and a fourth letter summarising after the works have finished. They also looked at an additional letter about a potential smart thermostat product.
Their feedback led to changes in every letter and actually caused us to create two major additional materials for customers. These were a frequently asked questions website page and a leaflet breaking down the journey into seven simple steps.
What became clear through the questions My Voice asked was that customers were already thinking ahead about the day contractors arrive to do the work. Understanding this means we now communicate about concerns customers have early in the process, by sharing the FAQ link and the additional leaflet to go with one of the letters.
My Voice is such a vital way for us to find out what our customers are thinking and feeling and we want to thank all members for playing such a big part in getting our retrofitting journey across to customers. We're always looking for more people to join our expanding online community, who care about their neighbourhood, want to make a difference and have their voice heard. Click here to join!
