Elmhurst Energy

Significant input into Government plans

Almanac used to inform media and policy-makers

Elmhurst Energy is the UK’s largest training and accreditation scheme for energy efficiency professionals, with more than 15,000 members.

Elmhurst has more than 30 years’ involvement in driving skills in energy efficiency, retrofit and building energy performance. It aims to equip professionals with the knowledge and practical expertise that the UK needs in order to deliver carbon net zero 2050.

When it comes to energy performance certificates (EPCs), its energy assessors deliver more than one million annually.

Elmhurst also works with industry and government to deliver and influence standards and methodologies. These continue inform and shape policies and understanding relating to the energy efficiency of UK homes and buildings.

Challenge

LMC has worked with Elmhurst since 2020 to ensure public recognition of the organisation as a leader in energy efficiency policy, regulation, and training and skills, as well as consumer and business issues relating to EPCs.

We ensure Elmhurst has a strong voice in target media and its stance on major political and sector skills issues is communicated clearly to the industry and relevant policy makers.

Strategy

To bring together multiple strands of Elmhurst's expertise and policy insights, LMC created the Elmhurst Energy Almanac - the authoritative report on energy efficiency policy changes and statistics in the UK.

We also established free educational briefing sessions and single-topic fact sheets for journalists tasked with writing about energy, fuel poverty and carbon savings, so that they could avoid accidentally spreading misinformation about these technically complex and nuanced issues.

Through an ongoing PR and thought leadership campaign, we have helped Elmhurst Energy articulate its views on key industry concerns and technical issues, including:

Whether EPCs are fit for purpose and how they can be improved.
Measuring actual energy performance in homes pre and post-retrofit.
The impact of Government policy on heat pumps.
New Building Regulations on thermal performance, airtightness and overheating.
PAS 2038 and standards impacting commercial property reftrofit.
Passivhaus and SAP assessment methodologies.
Women in energy efficiency.
The specialist approach needed in assessing rural properties.
Training of Retrofit Assessors.
The Heat and Buildings strategies in England and Scotland.
How mortgage lenders could support the low-carbon retrofit of homes.
Which energy efficiency measures are most effective in helping UK households tackle crippling fuel price rises.

Results

Elmhurst's recent media coverage on EPCs, the energy crisis and energy efficiency matters spans a wide range of broadcast media and national press, including the BBC, Daily Express, Guardian, The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Record, The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Metro, Your Money. Mortgage Solutions, Landlord Today, Property Week, Property Wire, and many more.

Elmhurst Energy is now used regularly by the media as the authoriative source of data on EPCs, their use and potential misuse, and Elmhurst Energy members often take part in regional filming and media comment opportunities. The Almanac is used to assist conversations with civil servants, MPs, consumer protection groups and industry leaders.

Most importantly, Elmhurst's recommendations for the future of EPCs - including the provision of 'cost, consumption and carbon' information within a redesigned energy label that can provide genuine value to the public as well as policy-makers - are now part of a major Government consultation which could transform the use, value and impact of energy assessment in the UK.

111 pieces of broadcast and press coverage in 2023