Greater Manchester green deal communities programme scheme exit paper

The report provides GM Local Authorities with an update on the Greater Manchester Green Deal Communities Programme and with relevant reference details for post programme

Research to assess the barriers and drivers to energy efficiency in small and medium sized enterprises

This report is based on a small scale, Department of Energy and Climate Change commissioned, research project to better understand the barriers and drivers to energy efficiency faced by individual firms, particularly small and medium sized enterprises. This report is based on both qualitative and quantitative research and focuses on late stage barriers (where firms already have information on the type, costs and savings of the energy efficiency measures available to them). The research illustrates the wide range of motivations and barriers cited by businesses but shows there are no simple explanations for businesses behavior around take up of energy efficiency

‘Seeing it from a cyclist’s point of view is totally different.’ : understanding the impact of cycling awareness training for HGV drivers

Cycle training organisation BikeRight! delivers a Safe Urban Driving course aimed at professional drivers. With concern about safety on the road being an oft-cited reason for low take-up of cycling, and with incidents involving an HGV and a cyclist disproportionately likely to result in a cyclist fatality, changing driver behaviour, alongside other safety measures, is an important factor in encouraging cycling and reducing risk. The investigation comprises a pilot study of qualitative research aiming to evaluate and understand the ways in which the course influences the attitudes and behaviour of drivers, and to trial an approach to researching the impact of such courses. It comprises six semi-structured interviews with HGV drivers who had participated in the Safe Urban Driving course, an interview with a course coordinator, and participant observation of a one-day Safe Urban Driving course. An Internet-based survey of previous course participants received nine responses and added further information about participants’ reactions to the course, including learning points and changes in driving practice

Communicating cycle training : Perceptions and experiences of adult cycle training

This research aimed to better understand the communication strategies that can most effectively be used to engage with the diverse community of adults who cycle, or would cycle, and help convince them of the benefits of cycle training. The research was based upon empirical work in Greater Manchester comprising a web-based survey and a series of focus groups. This research report provides an executive summary of the study, including the context, methodology and the findings

Erneley Close passive house retrofit : resident experiences and building performance in retrofit to passive house standard

In May 2015, Eastlands Housing (now One Manchester) completed work on its retrofit to PassivHaus equivalent (EnerPHit) standard of 32 social housing flats in two blocks in Erneley Close, in the Manchester area Gorton. With a budget of £3.1 million, it was intended that the development would reduce energy bills, create new community greenspace and make the area a destination of choice (PassivHaus Trust 2015). Over the period December 2015 to February 2016, researchers at the Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit (SHUSU) and the Applied Buildings and Energy Research Group (ABERG) monitored the thermal performance of the buildings and interviewed residents to understand their experiences of both the retrofit process and living in their retrofitted-flats. The research contributes to a nascent literature on retrofit of social housing to EnerPHit levels and to a broader literature base on processes and outcomes of retrofit across the UK housing stock. It finds broadly positive outcomes from the Erneley Close improvements, with monitoring indicating high expected comfort levels and the majority of tenants expressing satisfaction with the thermal performance of the flats and the heating systems. As with any major development, there are lessons that can be learnt, and opportunities to enhance the work: these relate primarily to ensuring residents, including vulnerable groups, understand fully how to get the best out of their retrofitted flats; and addressing some non-energy related tenant concerns. The report begins with an overview of the EnerPHit standard (Chapter 2), before outlining the methodology (Chapter 3). Chapters 4 and 5 present the findings from the qualitative interviews and the physical monitoring respectively. Finally, Chapter 6 offers a set of recommendations that relate to this and future social housing energy retrofit

The rise of micromobilities at tourism destinations

Purpose This paper aims to identify the need for research that focuses on micromobilities at tourist destinations, charting their recent expansion and exploring development challenges. Design/methodology/approach This discussion draws together recent evidence and studies that are directly and indirectly related to the rise of micromobilities. It identifies and critically analyses the trend going forward, its potential benefits and challenges, and offers several areas of future study. Findings Micromobilities relates to a new umbrella term that includes, but is not limited to, walking, cycling (both existing modes), e-bikes and e-scooters (new modes). The proliferation of new micro-modes in urban zones at destinations can be viewed positively in terms of their potential to increase sustainable urban mobility and therefore destination attractiveness; but also negatively in terms of potential space issues, accessibility and sustainable implementation. Destination developers and stakeholders should therefore consider carefully how to successfully integrate micromobilities into sustainable transport systems. Originality/value This paper addresses a trend that is extremely prominent at many destinations but largely absent from academic study and that is also being described by commentators as key to sustainable futures at destinations

‘It’s normal to have damp’ : using a qualitative psychological approach to analyse the lived experience of energy vulnerability among young adult households

Seeking to promote methodological innovation in fuel poverty research, this paper reflects on the use of a novel qualitative psychological approach known as Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The benefits and limitations of this methodological approach are discussed within a detailed account of the findings from a small-scale study undertaken in Salford, UK. Contributing to an existing gap in the existing evidence base, the research focused on the lived experience of young adult households: a demographic group identified as being disproportionately more likely to be living in fuel poverty compared to any other age group. Three emergent themes were identified: ‘establishing the independent home’, ‘threats to home comfort’ and ‘energy and coping’. Multiple references to conditions typical of fuel poverty disclosed, such as: self-disconnection, energy debts, cold homes and unrelenting challenges with damp and laundry practices. ‘Vulnerability’ mostly consumed narratives of past experience, with participants discussing the present and future with positive affectivity. Implications for further research are explored, including the potential to more effectively target support by reframing current discourse away from one centred on ‘vulnerability’