Energy savings and carbon reductions are central measures of retrofit. But do they capture the full difference the work makes to people’s lives?
The National Energy Foundation (NEF) worked with the National Retrofit Hub and charity development specialist Jo Taylor Consulting to find a broader way to understand, measure and communicate the impact of its services.
When reporting does not show everything
NEF already collected a considerable amount of valuable information. They measured their services and outcomes, supported by customer satisfaction surveys and strong testimonials.
However, feedback from residents pointed to benefits that were not fully reflected in their reporting. These included warmer, more comfortable homes, improved wellbeing and the value of access to trusted, impartial advice.
The challenge was bringing the evidence together and making it accessible and relevant to the people who needed it.
Alison Vickers, Operations Director at NEF, explains:
“We knew we were not capturing all the outcomes and impact of our service. Residents were not always aware of all the positive outcomes they were receiving, we were underselling our work, and our funders could not see everything their support was making possible.”
NEF wanted residents to recognise the wider benefits they had experienced. It also wanted staff to see how their work supported the organisation’s purpose and funders to have a fuller picture of what they were investing in.
Looking beyond what is easiest to count
The project builds on NRH’s Measuring Outcomes and Impact Evaluation work, which aims to improve how success in retrofit is defined, targeted and measured.
Retrofit reporting often focuses on measures installed, energy saved and carbon emissions reduced. These are valuable indicators, but they do not show everything that changes for residents.
A warmer home can improve someone’s comfort and support their wellbeing. Impartial advice can give people more confidence in decisions about their home. Their experience of the service is also part of its impact.
Finding credible ways to measure these outcomes can help organisations improve their services and demonstrate where their work makes the greatest difference.
Creating space to think differently
NRH convened a series of interactive workshops involving people from across NEF, with Jo Taylor supporting their development and facilitation. Colleagues with different roles and levels of seniority took part, with strong engagement from NEF’s leadership and wider team throughout.
Together, we explored NEF’s purpose, the changes it wants to create and how its work contributes to them. We mapped the people who use NEF’s impact information and considered what each audience needs from it.
Jo brought experience of helping organisations understand and demonstrate their impact. She had previously supported NRH to develop our own monitoring and evaluation approach. NRH brought detailed knowledge of homes and retrofit, alongside our experience of convening different perspectives and creating space for focused discussion.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Jo said:
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to combine my impact know-how with NRH’s technical expertise and NEF’s operational insights. I look forward to seeing NEF share, celebrate and be recognised for the full breadth of the impacts of their impressive and hugely valuable work.”
Our independence from NEF’s day-to-day delivery allowed us to ask questions, draw together different views and help the team focus on the outcomes that mattered most. The process built on NEF’s existing evidence and the knowledge held across its organisation.
Alison Vickers, Operations Director at NEF, explains:
“The workshops allowed us to take a step back from our normal day-to-day delivery and see our impact from an outside perspective. This space helped us see what was really important to us and how to talk about it.”
Making NEF’s impact easier to see
The project co-designed impact areas and six key metrics that NEF can use to demonstrate the value of its work.
The framework goes beyond bill savings and carbon reductions. It covers residents’ health, comfort and wellbeing, their experience of NEF’s service and the value of access to impartial advice.
It builds on information NEF already holds and brings the evidence together in a form that is useful for residents, staff, the Board and funders. The project also identified gaps and informed a practical plan for future data collection.
The aim is not to collect more information for its own sake. It is to make NEF’s impact easier to understand and ensure the evidence reaches those who can use it.
Turning evidence into action
NEF is now developing an impact dashboard based on the six key metrics. Staff will use it internally, while the Board will use it to assess impact and support future decisions. NEF also plans to use the findings to guide the continued development of its services.
For NRH, the collaboration has provided a practical opportunity to test broader outcomes measurement. The learning will inform our continuing work to strengthen impact evaluation across retrofit, decarbonisation and fuel poverty alleviation.
By learning alongside organisations such as NEF and sharing what works, we can help build stronger evidence across the sector.
The question is not simply whether we measure impact. It is whether our approach captures the outcomes people value most.
This blog was developed jointly by the National Retrofit Hub and the National Energy Foundation, with input from Jo Taylor.
