Energy efficiency pilot project FAQs

 Network Homes is working with partners Tallarna (a climate technology company) and Switch Energy Networks (an energy efficiency advisory and installation company) to understand how to improve the energy efficiency of 200 homes in Hertford and try and save you money on your energy bills.   

Switch is an energy efficiency advisory and installation company. The company is an accredited member of Trustmark and is licensed to carry out energy efficiency improvements. Switch was founded in 2019 by energy efficiency experts and has carried out thousands of projects since then. At the moment, they are just collecting your billing data, nothing else. 

They are rated 4.0 on Trustpilot out of 185 reviews.  

Tallarna is a climate technology company for the built environment. They model buildings’ energy usage and how that can be improved. Tallarna has won several awards for their work in the energy efficiency space, including from property magazine BUILD, PwC, and the University of Cambridge. Their team have decades of experience in this space, advising on building improvements. 

Energy efficiency is an evaluation of the amount of energy used to achieve a given outcome. In the context of residential buildings, this means the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a home. 

More energy efficient homes use less energy to achieve the same results. Using less energy can mean cheaper energy bills.  

Improved energy efficiency can help to: 

• Lower your energy bill 
• Make your home more comfortable 
• Protect you from rising energy costs 
• Improve physical and mental health
• Reduce damp and humidity 
• Reduce noise transfer from neighbours 
• Improve air quality 

Energy efficiency is important for the climate too. The more energy efficient your home, the less energy you use, the fewer fossil fuels burnt to create energy. This means less greenhouse gas emissions are produced, which reduces the effect your home has on the environment.  

1. Using your utility bill data to understand how much energy you use. This will help us understand when you use energy to heat and cool your home, whether you use more gas or electricity, and how much you are being charged.
2. At a later stage, we intend to carry out surveys. This will involve a qualified, trusted surveyor coming out to assess your home to check that the improvements we intend to carry out will be suitable for your building.  

• Annual consumption (Electricity, gas, solid fuel etc.): how much energy you use in kWh (kilowatt hour) a year by energy type i.e., gas, electricity etc 
• Meter details (meter type, meter reading frequency): do you have a prepayment meter, do you have a smart meter, do you have a credit meter (This is the type of meter you'll have if you pay for your energy on credit, with a monthly bill sent to your home, or direct debited from your account), is your energy usage measured monthly, daily, hourly, etc  
• Meter reading history: what energy usage do you have hourly, daily, monthly, what times of day do you use the most energy, when aren’t you using energy etc 
• Statement of account (current balance, payment history): what you have paid for your energy in the past, what your current balance is 
• Tariff Information Label (TIL): Provider name, tariff name, tariff type, payment method, cost per unit of electricity/gas, standing charge, tariff end date, price guarantee (if applicable), exit fees, and additional products/or services in tariff (i.e., customer free benefits) 

We need your bill data to understand your unique energy usage patterns so that we can see what efficiency improvements will make the most difference to your homes and hopefully, be able to save you money on your energy bills. 

We’re currently considering what measures will work best and need your utility bill data before we can make any decisions. So this has not been finalised. 

But measures we could carry out include installing efficient lightbulbs, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation (if applicable), double glazing, and temperature optimisation, to name a few.  

We can’t give an exact figure as it will depend on your unique home, how much energy you use at the moment, and what measures we implement. That is why we need your bill data but we’re aware every little helps. This process won’t cost you any money and our partner’s will do the work for you, so we hope you see it as a win/win situation. 

We need you to sign a letter of authority giving our partners permission to contact your utility provider to access your energy usage data. This will not affect your energy supply in any way.  

Once you have signed the letter, you don’t need to do anything. Switch Energy Network and Tallarna will do everything: contact the utility provider, gather your information, analyse it with us, and then support us in identifying ways we can try and make your home more energy efficient, which may save you money on fuel bills. 

We will communicate with you at every stage of this project. Taking part in one stage does not commit you to another. 

Once Switch Energy Networks and Tallarna have received your signed letter of authority, they will tell our team at Network Homes. You’ll then receive your Love2shop vouchers in the post within four weeks of us being made aware of your participation. 

Your voucher will be Love2Shop which can be redeemed at over 100 stores including restaurants, shoe and clothing retailers, experience days and food stores.

See all the participating stores here: Where to Spend Love2shop Vouchers? | Stores That Accept Love2shop

Once Switch Energy Networks and Tallarna have received your signed letter of authority, they will tell our team at Network Homes. You’ll then receive your Love2shop vouchers in the post within four weeks of us being made aware of your participation. 

We are legally required by the government to make sure all our homes have an energy efficiency rating of C by 2035. Additionally, as a housing association, we have ambitious aims to reduce our carbon emissions in line with the governments’ target for the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. 

As the cost of living rises, we are committed to supporting residents through this difficult financial time, which is why we are looking at how we can save you money on your energy bills. Further advice and support is available on our website or you can speak to customer services by calling 0300 373 3000 or emailing customerservice@networkhomes.org.uk.